The latest mortgage lending data and inflation figures cannot leave anyone in any doubt that interest rates will rise again this year, as we have long predicted. The questions that really matter are when will they rise, where will they peak and, most of all, how will the property market react?

For the leveraged property investor these questions are central, and increasingly will dictate investors' strategies in the immediate future.

Predictions of a big property price correction, and doubts about whether the UK's property market has really experienced a soft landing are once again beginning to gather pace.

Now, let's be straight here: we at Property Secrets do not blindly argue against anyone and everyone who pops up and says property prices will fall dramatically. We always listen to the argument and then make our analysis.

This is the case even with The Economist. We say 'even' because The Economist has a somewhat unfortunate legacy when it comes to making forecasts about the property market.