So do vendors baulk at taking a loss? “They are often desperate and realise that if they don’t, they stand to lose so much money anyway, particularly if they have had surveys done and have arranged mortgages and removals.”The shortfall is divided between the members in the chain but in Snaith’s experience this rarely happens. “Often people at the top are in a different area and feel that it has little to do with them, so it’s normally the vendor who has lost their buyer who stomachs the entire loss.” If Hometrack makes more money on the resale than planned, the vendor gets a cash lump sum from the surplus. Hometrack’s MD, David Catt, says: “We want a good return, not an excessive one, so we limit our profit potential and repatriate the excess back to the vendor.”Sometimes even the shortest chains need a hand. Hayley Burke and her partner Robert are trying to sell their one-bedroom flat in Stoke Newington and want to buy a cottage in Sevenoaks from a couple who want to buy a house in East Sussex from Joanna and Martin Burridge.

“We had been plodding along since August trying to sell our flat, which our agent had told us was very saleable at £172,000,” says Burke. The couple fell in love with the grade II listed cottage in Sevenoaks but had no offers on their flat, despite dropping the price to £169,950. “We were happy to wait, but we got a call from the agent telling us that the people at the top of the chain had a deadline as they were emigrating. They then asked us to consider selling to Chain-break.” Hayley and Rob calculated how much they stood to lose. “At first it was £30,000 and we thought, ‘No way.’” After the agent explained that everyone in the chain would bear a reduction, the couple realised that the advantages were great.The couple decided to sell to Chain-break for around £6,000 less than their asking price. “Robert, a financial controller, acted as negotiator and everyone was happy but I think that if it was left to solicitors it could be very long-winded,” she says.At the top of the chain, Joanna Burridge found they would face a reduction of £17,000 on their asking price of £265,000 for their East Sussex house. “It is quite a big reduction and we probably could have got more by putting it back on the market, but for us, time is now the most important thing.” The Burridges have found that the service has given them security but they couldn’t have afforded the reduction if they were buying in the UK: “That £17,000 would have been vital but luckily property is cheaper in New Zealand.”Chain-break: 0800 0019 6660.

If the beiges and rich browns are not enough of a clue, then the simple square design, from the sofas to the vases, clinches it. They bear the hallmark of Kelly Hoppen, interior stylist of renown, whose choice of colours and gorgeous fabrics is instantly recognisable whether in New York or London. One of two newly built houses in Hampstead, north London, is Hoppen from its floors to the soap, but where it differs from her usual commission is that she had no particular client in mind. Designing the interior for a developer, in this case Regime Property Development, was something of a challenge since normally, says Hoppen, “I get into the client’s head and really understand the way they live and then the process is easy from then on.”This absence of shared purpose proved equally challenging to three firms of architects who were asked by Regime to come up with a scheme for the neighbouring house in Thurlow Road, which was to be left as a shell. Instead of buying the finished article, purchasers can choose one ­ or none ­ of the schemes, but at the very least they will have plenty of food for thought.
And they will doubtless welcome it, given that both houses are 7,500 sq ft over six floors. The architects, KSR, have produced front exteriors in keeping with the traditional style of the street while coming up with a far more contemporary look at the back.

Double-height windows bring light flooding into the ground and first floor levels, which overlook the decked terrace. There is underground parking with direct lift access into both properties. If the exercise could be described as a beauty contest then a minimalist, contemporary and more traditional look are the three styles on offer. All the architects have allowed huge scope for variation within their schemes, while making clear their principal design objectives.Julian de Metz, of de Metz architects, has shown the house with the key feature of an “organisational wall” that runs through the building. It doesn’t touch the front or the back walls and is constructed from different materials and to different depths according to its purpose. On the ground floor, it divides the hallway like a Georgian wall but with the appearance of a library, as it houses books, a seat and even a fishtank through which the kitchen can be seen The kitchen units are built out from the same timber wall. On the floor above there is space for a fireplace and a section pulls out as a bar.”It is a solid principle of the design that doesn’t alter whether you use stone, timber or glass.