A new season brings optimism in the market, while an epic boat trip and an eye-catching suburban house hit the headlines.

Estate agents are hoping autumn will prove to be the new spring, as activity steps up a gear following a quieter than usual summer as a result of the Jubilee, Olympics and other distractions. But seasonal factors aside, what makes a successful sale in a challenging market?

John Kelly, managing partner of Corum, believes the three Ls, as in "location, location, location", are closely followed by the three Rs: realistic valuation/home report, realistic seller expectations and a realistic/keen asking price.

The combination of these factors, together with an offers-over pricing strategy (and the undoubted appeal of Corum's upmarket properties), resulted in two or more potential buyers willing to bid in competitive circumstances. As a result, Corum recently completed its 200th closing date, which represents about one-third of its total sales so far this year.

Kelly says: "Our nine branches all have a positive price premium, which means that, on average, our sales in every branch result in a positive gain on the asking price. In an ideal world this would happen in every case. However, given the current market and economic climate, our performance stands scrutiny against widely publicised figures that identify average shortfalls of 10-20% versus initial asking prices."

I'm thinking there could be a property equivalent to the Pythagoras theorem, whereby the equation for a sale is L3 + R3 = £+ and a smiley face.

Rural rises

According to the latest research from Bank of Scotland, in the past decade the average house price in rural Scotland has increased by 85% – outpacing the 70% rise in urban areas. Rural prices in Scotland also increased more rapidly than elsewhere in rural Britain.

Predictably, the most expensive rural location is in Aberdeenshire, which has seen a decade-long growth rate of 119%. Two other areas where average property values have more than doubled over the decade are Moray (110%) and Dumfries & Galloway (106%).

Nitesh Patel, housing economist at Bank of Scotland, commented: "Country living is an aspiration for many Scots: the fresh air, scenery, slower pace - it all adds to the attraction but has its drawbacks.

"For many of those tempted, the high prices put rural homes out of reach. First- time buyers in particular are affected by high prices, and consequently account for less homebuyers than in urban areas."

Good cause

Make a date for coffee on Friday, September 28, and join in the World's Biggest Coffee Morning, an annual charity event that raises funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The event celebrates its 21st birthday this year and it's a great way to raise money for a very good cause.

TV personality Carol Smillie was joined by her daughters Christie and Jodie to launch the event.

Carol said: "A diagnosis of cancer can be devastating for the patient and their family, and the support Macmillan provides is really important in helping people cope.

"This is the 21st birthday of the event so I hope people across Scotland join us to help make it the biggest event yet."

Staff at Taylor Wimpey's regional office in Paisley are aiming to raise £1000 from various activities, including a bake-off and a buy-your-breakfast to match the company's £1000 donation for visitors to developments across the west of Scotland from September 28-30.

There will be collection boxes at all sites to enable visitors to make a donation.

Border business

Rettie & Co is opening a new office over the border in Berwick-upon-Tweed – a move designed to give the independent property specialists a presence in the north-east of England and expand its Scottish Borders market, currently served by the Melrose office. The new venture will see an established estate agency business in the town become Rettie South LLP as of October, headed by managing partner Rob Taylor, who will also continue to oversee the Melrose office. This brings Rettie's office total up to seven in the UK.

Twice as nice

Two houses on the south side of Glasgow caught my eye this week. Corum's Newton Mearns office is marketing a pretty house on Davieland Road, opposite Rouken Glen Park, at offers over £695,000. It offers fine period features, large corner gardens, detached double garage, four public rooms, bespoke kitchen/dining room, four bedrooms (one en-suite), shower room, and a large family bathroom.

The other is Walden House, an impressive 1920s'country house off Capelrig Road with a tree-lined driveway and 1.5 acres of woodland and gardens. The three-storey layout includes a 17ft reception hallway, 25ft drawing room, dining and sitting rooms, office, garden room, 16ft kitchen with adjoining breakfast room, bathroom and five bedrooms (master with en-suite shower room). The two bedrooms on the second floor share a large shower room.

The house is just minutes from a train station and close to local amenities .Nicol Estate Agents is seeking offers over £635,000.

Sailing on

Iain Robb, partner at Strutt & Parker's Glasgow office, recently packed a tad more into a day's work than most. He took six boats and completed five appointments in a route that included Gourock, Dunoon, Tighnabruaich, Portavadie, Tarbert, Tayinloan, Gigha, Portavadie, Tayinloan, Tarbert, Tighnabruaich, Dunoon and back to Gourock. Iain's trip ended late with a few pints in his local pub.