But existing timeshare owners should also be aware of tempting offers that may come your way. Typically these involve either someone cold calling or approaching the woner when on holiday and saying they have buyer for the timeshare week(s) owned and offering a price that seems much higher than the normal resale price. Remember if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

If receiving a call you may wonder how they got your contact details, well it could be that you have listed your weeks for sale and details have been passed on, but sometimes it seems that the data must have been obtained by one means or another either from your resort database or from an exchange company.

The scammers can sound terribly convincing and their offers sound very attractive, particularly if you are looking to sell your holiday weeks perhaps because you purchased them many years ago but now you are older you no longer find they offer good value for money. It is a sad fact that often the scammers target older timeshare owners.

Often the scammers will tell you that they have a buyer for your week(s) perhaps a company looking to buy weeks to rent out but require an upfront payment from you - this is sometimes referred to as a non refundable admin fee, on other occasions it may be justified on the grounds that they need assurance that you will not pull out part way though the deal. Reputable timeshare resellers never ask for an upfront fee except perhaps a small fee to cover advertising, the scammers may be looking for several hundred pounds or more.

Sometimes they will offer to sell your week with a guarantee that if they fail they will buy the weeks off you. Their contracts may look water tight but somewhere in the small print you will find no such guarantee exists or not at the selling price offered at least.

What happens next depends on the scam. Sometimes you just lose your deposit but at least you still have your owner certificate so you can continue to use your holiday weeks, in other cases you may transfer ownership in exchange for membership of a holiday club - with a further fee of course, and a promise that you will get your money back at a later date. When this doesn’t happen and you complain you may well find you are then approached by another company offering to take action to recover your money, of course they will require you to pay an upfront fee, or perhaps go to visit them in Tenerife where they will offer free accomodation and a consultation which will in practice turn out to be a sales presentation for a holiday club.

Some scammers will use ‘timescare’ tactics to persuade you to sell your weeks, for example, a company is buying sufficient weeks to buy your resort and then run it down so your week will be worthless. Or they have special deals with the exchange companies giving them priority over ordinary members so you will not be able to exchange your weeks.

Avoiding these timeshare resale scams is straightforward. If you are cold called, ask where they got your contact details from, if they claim it is from your timeshare report, say that you will check that with the resort before you discuss anything - and then do so. Never, ever go to talk to anyone when on holiday after being offered a scratch card in the street and apparently winning a prize.

If you want to sell your holiday weeks always go to a reputable reseller preferably one that is an accredited member of an appropriate body like the Organisation for timeshare in Europe, but be careful, some scammer companies have been known to set up their own scam trade body that is nothing more than a web page!

Never pay an upfront fee, always shop around to find a reseller you are comfortable with and do be realistic about your asking price.

Finally, if in doubt consult your solicitor.

However, the report suggests that estate agents are reporting that falling prices are resulting in higher numbers of buyer enquiries although this is not yet reflected in the number of sales.

If you are looking to buya house see moneyjungle.net for more information.

Scottish and Southern Energy, Scottish Power, and Npower are expected to raise their prices within the next few weeks.

Now may be a good time to switch to a fixed rate tariff. You will pay more at first but know what you will pay for the remainder of the fixed rate period.

Go to Energy Helpline and check what fixed rate tariffs are available.

see moneyjungle.net for more ways of reducing your household bills.

Savings accounts

Kaupthing Edge - Savings Account 6.55% aer
Birmingham Midshires - ESaver 6.52% aer
Bradford and Bingley - Internet Saver Limited Issue 3 6.51% aer
Intelligent Finance - iSaver 6.40% aer
Icesave - Easy Access Savings Account 6.30% aer
FirstSave - Easy Access Account 6.26% aer
Saga - Online Top 5 Tracker Account 6.20% aer Available to the Over 50s

Mini-Cash ISAs

HSBC - Cash e-ISA 6.25% aer
Icesave - Easy Access ISA 6.10% aer
Egg Cash ISA - 6.05% aer
Principality Building Society - Variable Rate Cash e-ISA 6.00% aer

See moneyjungle.net for more on selecting the right savings account.

Please note that although we check rates regularly moneyjungle.net does not claim that the products listed above are the most appropriate for an individual investor and does not claim that the list is exhaustive. We exclude introductory offers that offer short term high interest rates that later fall or those that require the customer to open another account such as a current account. We always recommend thorough research, reading terms and conditions carefully and, where appropriate, consulting an independent financial advisor. See the moneyjungle.net independent advice page for further information.

Nationally the average asking price was down 2.3% on July and is now down 4.8% compared to one year ago.

Rightmove points out that in spite of London’s large monthly fall, it is still playing catch-up with the rest of the country.

See moneyjungle.net for information to anyone looking to buy a home in this cooling market.

This highlights the dangers of buying on line or by telephone. It is generally safer to pay by credit card, debit cards do not carry the same protection. This should also be borne in mind when paying for air fares or holiday accomodation. It may be tempting to avoid the surcharge for creditcard payments but you also lose the protection offered for credit card transactions. Bearing in mind that worldwide 25 airlines have gone to the wall so far in 2008 it may well be worth paying the surcharge for the peace of mind this provides.

For more about credit and debit cards see moneyjungle.net

Student contents insurance from Endsleigh can be tailored to cover all the items that you take to university.

Build a policy that insures just one item, or a policy that covers your bike, laptop, iPod, camera, DVDs and much more.
• Get laptop cover and insure the rest of your room from just £8
• Cover your mobile for just £3.33 per month
• Cover your bike at university from just £30 a year
• Endsleigh is approved by NUS
• They insure loads of students - that means big discounts
• They have been insuring students for 40 years so they know what you need

Students with cars must notify their insurance company that you are no longer living at your parents home otherwise any claim could be rejected.

For more information about selecting the right insurance policy for you see moneyjungle.net

The report points out that high level of average house prices in relation to earnings has made it difficult for potential house purchasers, particularly first-time buyers, to enter the market. The decline in credit availability resulting from the crisis in the financial markets is further constraining buyers. These factors, combined with the pinch on spending power, have significantly curbed housing demand, causing house prices to fall.

But the Halifax points to high emplyment rates and falling mortgage interest rates as key drivers of housing demand.

Anyone looking to buy a house at this time of falling prices will find advice on moneyjungle.net

Nationwide feels that weakening economic conditions raise the likelihood of earlier interest rate cuts and points to recent reductions in fixed mortgage rates.

The report says that as the cost of mortgages begins to come down, activity could be bolstered and restore some liquidity to the housing market. However this is not likely to happen overnight. Overall the weakening economy and poor housing market sentiment do not suggest that the market will recover quickly.

If you are planning to buy a home see moneyjungle.net