Housing Market Looking More Positive

Today’s report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors shows a rise in buyer enquiries, a rise in sales agreed, more optimism among surveyors about house prices, and a fall in stock levels.

I had a chat with our statisticians this morning, and our own numbers echo this:

•    In April, enquiries to estate agents were up 6.4 per cent over the month

•    In May, the number of properties for sale listed on FindaProperty.com fell by five per cent. Stock levels have been falling since February and are down 13 per cent since then.

•    Asking sales prices are up one per cent month-on-month.  This is the largest monthly percentage increase seen since before Jan-08.  May is the second successive month that we have recorded a rise in asking prices.

I’d hesitate to call this an out and out  recovery, but the lines on the graphs are definitely beginning to move in the right direction.

If you’re a buyer sitting on the sidelines take note: the window of opportunity is beginning to close.

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