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In a report in this month's NMA, it has been announced that Ebay plans to launch a new channel selling homes. The online auction site, which has 14 million registered users in the UK, is in talks with PropertyIndex.com about the bid to "bring in new vertical sectors to develop the site and grow profits."

House-building activity in Scotland has plunged to levels not seen for a generation, figures have revealed.

The number of new houses starting construction in the private sector fell to just 2,860 in the three months to September - the lowest since 1987.

And total house-building new-starts fell by 43%, from more than 5,590 in the summer of 2007, to just 3,190.

Its interim results displayed losses and redundancies as the downturn took hold in the six months up to 31 December.

The firm said conditions in the UK-housing market during the six-month period became “intensely difficult”, resulting in a loss before tax of £592.4m.

With over 15,000 applications to choose from, the iPhone App store has more to offer than your average tool box.

Sales by builders’ merchants were down 20% in the last quarter of 2008 compared with the same three-month period in 2007 according to figures published by the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF).

The collapse in demand is recent - sales in final quarter were 18% lower than in the preceding three months (2008 Q3). By comparison, the fall in sales between quarters two and three of 2008 was just 4%.

The credit crunch could result in an increase in fatalities linked to unsafe gas and electrical installations, with over 4 in 10 people (41.4%) admitting they are more likely to tinker with their electrics or fit a new gas appliance in the current economic climate.  Only 15% of respondents said they would always use a professional tradesman.

Research published by insurance company Legal & General has revealed that many UK households are deciding to roll up their sleeves and tackle domestic tasks rather than calling the professionals in.

According to property website Rightmove, property asking prices in England and Wales have risen by 1.2% in the past month.

B&Q owner, Kingfisher announced on Wendnesday that the "White Van Man" is central to the future development of the DIY retailer. In a report in the Times, Chief Executive Ian Cheshire is quoted describing tradesmen as "absolutely key" to company strategy.

According to the DT, the number of homes lying empty in the UK has topped 1 million for the first time in history. As a direct result of the downturn in the property market, increasing numbers of properties are remaining unrenovated by developers with the increase in repossessions adding to the misery.