Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The UK housing market in March saw a sharp rise in the number of
property enquiries, according to estate agents.
The National Association of Estate Agent's (NAEA) market report
for March showed an increase in the number of house hunters
registering with an agent across the UK. The figure rose from 268
in February to 290 in March as an average per branch - its highest
level in eight months.
The number of houses available for sale decreased slightly from
70 per branch in February to 68 in March while the number of sales
remained the same with eight per branch on average.
The percentage of sales made to first time buyers decreased
slightly, moving from 25 per cent of the market share to 23 per
cent, however this figure is still in line with the year-on-year
average.
NAEA President Michael Jones said: "We are very pleased to see
that the market has remained relatively stable despite the
continued economic pressures that are making life very difficult
for homeowners and those looking to enter the property market.
"The significant growth in demand for homes reported by our
agents suggests that house-hunters are searching for a good deal on
property before the traditional spike in activity over the Easter
holidays.
"That said, the picture is still very varied across the country
and significant economic barriers remain. Although the Chancellor's
Budget last month did grant some concessions to First Time Buyers,
it didn't go far enough to assist the wider property market. Rather
than new build projects to help people onto the housing ladder, the
government should instead be looking at ways to maximise mortgage
availability."
Please download our Housing
Report - March 2011