According to the latest survey from property website Zoopla, 65% of us think house prices will rise in the next six months.
This goes against all reason.
Both house prices and asking prices are falling; the economy is back in a recession for the second time in two years and mortgages are still hard to get for everyone except those with a large deposit.
Worse still, estate agents are reporting there are two sellers for every buyer.
So why are people optimistic about house prices rising?
In the south house prices have fallen only slightly, so average house prices don't appear to be falling much.
So relative price stability in the south may explain a perception that prices start rising in the north
