SPECULATION about the state of the property market is back on the menu for discussion at dinner tables.

But one thing is certain - if a house catches the imagination of buyers, the calls to view still come flooding in.

The proof comes from Knight Frank, which has been so overwhelmed by enquiries for four period properties being marketed at Kennel Farm in Dummer that it has been arranging block viewings.

In the past two weekends, more than 60 potential buyers have booked to view.

Shaun Hobbs, of Knight Frank, said: "We've been inundated with enquiries. It has really grabbed the imagination of the local market."

The properties are being sold by a trust after having previously been rented out, and all the homes come with the option to buy extra paddock land.

The agents have pointed out to all potential buyers that the properties are close to the M3. However, that is the up side when it comes to the price of buying something individual and with character.

Mr Hobbs said: "They are excellent value for money. If they weren't so close to the motorway, they would be at least 25 per cent higher in price."

The most expensive of the four is Kennel Farm House itself, which, with more than three-quarters-of-an-acre of its own ground, even without exercising the option to purchase more, has a price guide of £365,000.

The four-bedroomed home boasts two reception rooms, a study, breakfast room, kitchen, utility room, cellar and a garage.

Kennel Farm House is attached to Kennel Farm Cottage, which has a price guide of £215,00.

It boasts two bedrooms and has been upgraded. There is a first-floor bathroom, and fireplaces in the reception room and kitchen.

The remaining properties are a semi-detached pair of cottages dating from 1860 - Woodside, at around £235,000, has an acre of grounds, and Gunavie Cottage, at around £275,000, has half-an-acre of land.

Gunavie Cottage has been extended into a three-bedroomed home.

On the ground floor are two reception rooms and a kitchen-breakfast room.

The smaller Woodside has period features including an open fireplace in the sitting room. There is also a utility room, two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Country and village agents are used to demand from London buyers looking around Basingstoke, but enquiries for Kennel Farm have come almost exclusively from local buyers.