Property "civilisation" overseas goes through three distinct stages. At first, anyone can buy in an overseas resort because laws are so relaxed - but would you want to? The next, the locals become appalled at the number of foreigners moving in so they restrict property ownership.

You may be a homeowner reading about falling house prices. No need to panic. A small number of press releases entitled "UK housing market confidence wanes" have escaped into the community.

Investors demonstrated demand for properties across the UK at the latest Acuitus commercial property auction which raised £16.29 million at a sale rate of 76 per cent.

Acuitus auctioneer Richard Auterac says: "The results from this auction should give sellers - and the banks in particular - increased confidence that there are buyers for the stock they are currently holding.

With the summer holidays on the horizon, a small but not inconsiderable posse of holiday property buyers leave Britain to look for the ideal holiday home. They have a whole globe to choose from, with popular destinations including Spain, Florida, Israel and the Caribbean.

The auctions scene is rapidly-changing. Cushman & Wakefield's auctions team is off to join CBRE and King Sturge is merging with Jones Lang LaSalle. Meanwhile, Jones Lang LaSalle's former team Acuitus has a sale coming up in July.

Wonderful thing, statistics. They are a springboard for imagination. Take the latest from estate agent Savills. It says that £3.3 billion of foreign capital fuels the prime London property market each year.

From this, it deduces that the international wealth currently flowing into the prime London residential market each year is enough to buy 18,561 average UK homes.

Do you have £225 million to spend on your next north London home?

Distressed and receivership properties are a theme of current sales - and nowhere more so than across the Irish Sea.

Savills Ireland has announced that on September 29 it will hold what it claims will be the largest property auction Ireland has seen in a long while. Clients include banks, receivers and private sellers.

According to the latest figures from the Institute of National Statistics, Marbella's tourism industry is well on the road to recovery. Other tourism figures are also reportedly up across Spain, with the Andalucían region coming out on top.

There have been faint signs of improvement in the property market too.

Radlett agent Village Estates is marking 25 years in business this year. When Neil Landau set up the company, the average asking price for a modest home in the South East was around £36,000.