By Tony Booth

Unless you really have to sell a property, it is probably wiser to sit tight until the market gets back on track. In the meantime, it might be possible to enhance the future value of your buy-to-let by extending it or by converting a loft or cellar into an additional bedroom ... and the planning laws have just been changed, which means it's now much easier and more economical to achieve.

Adding an extra bedroom can enhance the price of a property by up to almost 60 per cent of its existing value, which is more than enough to offset the ongoing price-crash - and it might even be enough to turn an investor's current nightmare back into a handsome profit.

These are difficult days in the housing market and most of us will have to go 'the extra mile' to realise the potential locked away in bricks and mortar.

While it was previously rather complicated, longwinded and expensive to extend a house, a change in the planning law on 1st October 2008 has meant it's now easier and cheaper for everyone.