Dear LPG,

I was at one of the day centres that I go to recently and I got into a conversation with three of my friends there. It occurred to me that what we were talking about needs to be the subject of a talk that a lot more pensioners could engage in.

We all worked out that we had three things in common.  We were all women and each of us live alone in a house that we own.  We were talking about how best to ensure that our families benefit from our assets once we are gone, and while we were talking I realised that I had no real idea of how much my house is worth now. 

I know that I am not unique when I say that I bought my council house at the end of last century.  There were quite a few companies around at the time that sorted it all out for you and it was seamless; I just continued paying through the bank and one week I paid my rent and the next the money was re-designated as a mortgage payment.

During that conversation the lady that did know, mentioned what her home was worth and when we compared the number of bedrooms etc.  I realised that my house must be worth a lot more than I thought. 

That house is the only thing I have to leave when I am gone, and I now know that I need to be up to date with how best to make sure that my children get the maximum benefit.

I consider myself a relatively young pensioner who is not stupid, but that conversation taught me that there is so much that I need to know, and if this has just occurred to me I am wondering about how many others need that wakeup call.

K L. Lewisham.

LPG contacted three local estate agents who all told us that they would be happy to give a valuation even if there is no prospect of a sale involved.  Two out of the three agents we contacted told us that they would be happy to visit and give a free valuation, although the other asked for a fee.  We were advised that it would be a good idea to get a minimum of three valuations because they will vary somewhat.