Enquiries from househunters on the rise

Growing buyer interest across the UK suggests confidence in the housing market according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The RICS figurs show enquiries from would-be buyers rose in most parts of the UK last month, continuing the steady growth since the end of the summer.

However, the number of homes coming up for sale remained fairly flat during November and there were modest drops in prices in most regions, with London the only part of the country to see prices rise. Overall, the RICS concludes that this indicates the market is starting to stabilise.

"There is certainly some optimism creeping back into the housing market," said Peter Bolton King, RICS Global Residential Director, "and it is encouraging to see an increase in potential buyers across parts of the country where the market has particularly suffered in recent years. That said, there is still a long way to go and the long standing barriers to home ownership are still very much a problem for the likes of first time buyers."