Buy a house, do it up, sell it on. But two years later – mid-credit crunch – the plan doesn't seem so straightforward.

In fact, it's easy to reel in a state of confusion with all the figures.

The International Monetary Fund has announced that world economic growth will slow down between 2008 and 2009.

Everywhere you look there seems to be more doom prophesied with price bubbles bursting and crashing all over the place.

Apparently, things are not as bad in this country as they are in the USA, but it doesn't really look that optimistic – especially for people coming off a fixed-rate mortgage.

Mortgage deals are said to be going by the day, with people ringing up one day to arrange a mortgage, and the next being told that the product they wanted has been taken off the market due to 'demand'.

But to confuse matters further, according to the Halifax, East Anglia has experienced a 1.4 per cent increase in house prices in March alone.

And to add to the confusion, if a 'credit crunch' really does mean that loans are scarce, then why do I keep getting loan offers at special rates through the door, asking whether or not I feel like buying a new car, or splashing out on a holiday?

Even if we are in trouble, there doesn't seem any point in pondering whether or not we are all doomed, and about to be forced out onto the street.

Some concrete answers about what's happening would be nice.

But until then, can we leave the great debate about whether to sell or not; whether we are doomed or not?

At least the people who we were planning to sell to can put off the decorating for a bit longer...