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While all are synonymous, ‘extremely crowded’ best fits the context:

• ‘teeming’ means ‘full of people or things’, a degree less than ‘jam-packed’

• busy’ only means ‘crowded, having lots to do’, rather than ‘many things things to do with no space’.

‘It does without saying’ means ‘be obvious’.

‘That said’ is used to mean ‘even so’ when introducing a concessive statement.

In this context (talking about average property prices) ‘mainstream’ is best defined by ‘common’ or ‘average’.

While ‘sentiment’ can mean feeling or emotions (often as sentimental), here is refers to a view or opinion held or expressed.

The clue is in ‘offset’ which means ‘a consideration or amount that diminishes or balances the effect of an opposite one’; any increases in taxes (stamp duty, residence taxes or VAT) would be diminished by interest rate cuts.

‘Forecast’ means ‘predict or estimate (a future event or trend’:

• ‘speculate’ implies a decision based on little knowledge

• ‘divine’, at best, means discover (something) by guesswork or intuition or through magic/ fraud.

The article says people need to strike a balance (find a moderate course) between house prices, distances from work (the commute) and schooling (whether it is distance or price).

The best word, synonymous with ‘displace’ (move (something) from its proper or usual position) is dislodge (to mean ‘knock or force out of position’):

• ‘move’ could be used, it has no element of ‘usual position’ ;

• ‘shift’ means ‘change in emphasis, direction, or focus’ but no element of ‘usual position’

• ‘dislocate’ means ‘move from its proper place or position’ it often has an element of disturb or disrupt.

‘Backdrop’ means ‘the setting or background for the situation’.

Stamp duty will be keep prices in balance; that is, any increase in stamp duty will be counterbalanced with a fall or limited price rise.

FALSE: Hamptons expects London prices to ‘outpace’, or rise faster than other regions, for the first time since 2015.

A ‘robust pay rise’ means ‘strong and healthy’.

‘Pent-up’ means demand is ‘closely confined or held back’.

‘Take off’ means start to rise quickly (like an aeroplane or bird).

‘Factor something in’ is to ‘include a particular fact or circumstance in one's considerations or calculations; take something into account’.

‘Foster’ means to ‘encourage the development of (something, especially something desirable)’. The nuance is less on cultivation, which is more about preparing and developing, and more on encouraging.

The increase, from 1.1m to 1.15, will be ‘fuelled by improving affordability and income growth’ [5-7].

‘Outpace’ means ‘go, rise, or improve faster than’.

‘On the cards’ means ‘likely or possible’.