I learned today that the letter below has won me a black bottle of extra special Whiskey courtesy of the Editor.

Dear Sir,
I recently received a flyer from Highland Solicitors Property Centre
saying that it is now the law that every home advertised for sale must have
a Home Report.
Many times over the years I have put a property on the market only intending to
sell if a suitable offer came along and otherwise to stay put. In a
recession and in difficult market conditions introducing the requirement
for an additional cost, up to around £800 , by requiring a report which may
be out of date by the time the market recovers and a buyer is found seems
absurd.
Would it not be possible to avoid this expense by having a page of
adverts in the Inverness Courier headed ' Properties which might come on the
market in the next 6 or 12 months ' ? If approached by potential buyers
the owner could then get a Home Information Pack [ HIP ] which would be timely and relevant.
If no potential buyers appeared the owner would have avoided an unnecessary
outlay.
Buyers are not always focused on double glazing, central heating and solar
panels since as we all know its most often a choice based on ' location,
location, location' . If that interpretation is right the buyer could
after purchase improve those features highlighted as deficient in the
Home Report.
I will be very interested to know if the Courier and its readers
[ and bloggers ] agree with this suggestion.

Yours sincerely.