Thank goodness the new apartments market is still ticking over nicely in Dublin. The same is not necessarily true in some parts of London where upmarket agents like Knight Frank are having to resort to all sorts of gimmicks to chalk up sales.

A recent half-page advertisement in the Daily Telegraph shows a young tiger-type businessman in a stunning penthouse ogling a blonde lovely clad only in revealing black suspenders and stiletto heels. It's the kind of ad rarely seen nowadays outside the sleazier auto or soft porn magazines. Even more surprising is that the apartments are not in some backwater but rather at Imperial Wharf, minutes from the stylish King's Road with its fashionable boutiques, bars and restaurants.

Could a little titillation be the answer to the woes of agents finding it hard to shift houses in out-of-town locations? Watch this space.