When Britain’s housing market stalled during the Global Financial Crisis, retirees found themselves in one of two broad camps. Their response largely depended on one question: did they own their home outright? In the previous article, we looked at how Britain’s property market seized up during the Global Financial Crisis. House prices fell by around 15 to 20 per cent, buyers became scarce and sales slowed dramatically. For people planning to sell the family home and downsize, it was an unsettling time.