It’s been another hectic week for the industry, and here is what has caught our eye.

First: Brexit

Journalists are often accused of peddling bad news and talking down the economy.

But in reality all we can report is the facts. So it was hard to be positive this week with such negative looking data coming out of the industry.

Home.co.uk says confidence in the housing market has evaporated since the EU referendum

The rather stark analysis comes in the site’s house price index for July in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, recording a 0.2% monthly slip in average prices in England and Wales to £296,910, ending a 19-month rally.

Time on the market has also edged up by two days to 82.

Meanwhile RICS was equally gloomy after surveyors recorded a third successive decline in monthly sales, while 26% more respondents anticipated a further drop in sales across the UK over the next three months.

This is the most negative reading for near-term expectations since 1998.

At least EYE readers remain positive, “We are only seeing the same trend normally associated with General Elections, Scottish referendum etc the only difference this time is that most Chartered Surveyors probably voted Remain and this is their way of continuing project fear. Prices falling, who does that affect other than the seller? Price reductions mean less instructions, lack of stock puts prices up, higher prices release more stock and on it goes. That’s life in the property industry.”

On a personal note, my dad’s estate agent is pushing him to knock £20,000 off the listing price on his flat, citing the Brexit uncertainty. But all this means is we will just aim for a lower price on his new property.

Second: Online agents

BBC current affairs programme The One Show was the latest to wade into the online v high street agent debate.

Gemma Young, of Settled, was shown by presenter Dan Donnelly competing with Bath agent Madison Oakley, on a £460,000 property.

While not quite clear what the competition achieved, the apparent purchaser said she appreciated being shown around the property by the vendor, because “she could tell me what it was like”. By contrast, the agent was able to tell the viewer what sounded like interesting historical local information.

The vendor said she would be saving £8,000 by going through online agent Settled.

Three viewers had two viewings each and then gave their opinions as to whom they preferred.

While they voted two to one in favour of viewings with the owner, the one who voted for the agent said they could ask the agent more questions.

There wasn’t any verdict from the vendor, while no offers or justification for the agent’s expertise in getting a possibly better price were explored.

At least traditional agents have the support of EastEnders’ hardman and Grant Mitchell actor Ross Kemp, who was also a guest on the show and said he was “all for the personal touch”.

EYE readers were obviously unimpressed with the BBC.

IndAgent said: “From a sample of just three people and no mention of sales progression. Let’s see how they like it when something goes wrong!”

Meanwhile, smile please said: “Would be interesting following a seller from start to finish. One using an online agent. One using a high street agent.

“All the twists and turns and how frustrating / easy process is. Think it would expose some of the myths.”

 Third: Post Brexit

Should overseas investors be banned from buying up UK property? That is the latest debate on The Arena forum.

JSSoxted58 said: “Now that we are out of the EU, the government needs to regulate overseas buyers from investing in UK property thinking that they can make a good yield at the cost of the UK residents – we will become a nation of rentals to overseas landlords and all the UK property will be owned by overseas investors if we are not careful, driving the prices beyond the reach of all the UK.”

Join the conversation to let us know what you think.