We've been testing it over the last few months in 12 of our estate agents' offices and the

"We've been testing it over the last few months in 12 of our estate agents' offices, and the response has been quite positive."However, he adds that the scheme will only work if all those involved in the house-buying chain sign up to it. "We would like the Government to make the seller's pack mandatory," he says. "Otherwise the sale will only move at the pace of the slowest link in the chain."One problem the Government will have to address is how sellers will pay for the pack, which could cost up to pounds 500. Mr Dunsmore-Hardy thinks mortgage lenders may be keen to subsidise packs. "A number of lenders currently pay towards valuation costs if you remortgage, and some offer cash back with the mortgage. We think that in a similar way they could reduce the costs that vendors would have to pay with the new system."But nothing short of the Scottish system will stamp out gazumping. Mark Jones, a photographer's agent in London, was ready to act quickly but still lost his flat.

"I saw the flat twice and put in an offer the same afternoon," he explains. "My offer was accepted and the vendor seemed quite happy to get things moving." Mr Jones contacted his lender to get a valuation done, and instructed his solicitor, but after a couple of weeks it all went quiet."After speaking to my solicitor, who was having trouble getting a contract from the vendor, I spoke to the estate agents," he says. "They checked it out and told me the flat had been sold three weeks earlier."The vendor had accepted a higher offer from a private buyer just two days after he'd agreed the sale, leaving Mr Jones pounds 600 out of pocket.If you can't wait for improvements to the house-buying process to be implemented, you can insure yourself against being gazumped. There aren't many providers in this market - the two main ones are Legal & General and the Lambeth building society.

Policies cost between pounds 15 and pounds 30 for a three-month period, and cover legal and survey fees up to certain limits. It won't deal with the heartache, but it should mean you don't lose out financially.Lambeth BS, 0171-928 1331; L&G - contact L&G estate agents.HOW TO BEAT THE GAZUMPERSSave as much as possible for a deposit: some sellers are rejecting offers from buyers who need to borrow all or almost all of the asking price for the house. A surveyor's valuation is often lower than the market price, but lenders will use the surveyor's figure. This can leave buyers unable to raise enough cash to buy the property.Get a mortgage offer and set up a solicitor to act for you before you make any offers. A written mortgage offer shows you are serious, and if you get into a contracts race, speed counts.Visit agents when they are less busy and develop a relationship. Allow them to show you the property that's been hanging around for ages.

And phone every day.If you are a seller looking to buy in the same area, use the agent with the best choice of local properties. Agents act for their clients, so if something good comes on to the books, you'll have a better chance of snapping it up.Look around the area. This is the best way to spot new properties and get in there first. Often "for sale" signs go up before a property is marketed elsewhere.Get to know the vendor: if you can make a personal connection with the person selling a property, he or she is less likely to behave in an appalling manner..

THE INTERNET takes the grind out of research if you are thinking of moving to a new area and want to find out about local house prices, schools and services It's also great if you just want to find a local plumber. Two sites offer a wide range of information about local services, schools, average house prices and council tax rates. Upmystreet produces natty graphs comparing house and flat prices in any postal district against local and national averages, while the new Yellow Pages and Equifax site, HomeSight, offers advice on home buying and postcode-specific information. HomeSight also sells reports on the radon and subsidence risk to your prospective property for about pounds 25 each. This also buys a guarantee that HomeSight will pay the pounds 1,000-pounds 2,000 excess on any insurance claim you make for either of these problems.Sounds too good to be true? It is. People in London and other areas at high risk of subsidence (or radon problems) are excluded from the guar- antee.