‘Ingredients for a buoyant spring’ says Rightmove
There are early signs of a strong start to 2010 as average asking prices in the North West housing market were up by 4.8% in the past month, according to the online estate agency portal.
Rightmove said average asking prices in the region rose from £155,887 in December 2009 to £163,317 in January 2010.
The North West fared well compared to the West Midlands, East Anglia and Yorkshire which all showed falls, while London and the South East was flat.
Miles Shipside, commercial director of Rightmove, said: "This rise in asking prices is an early indicator that new sellers in 2010 have the confidence to try for a higher price, as the index was lined up for a fall until the turn of the year.
"We were expecting a drop of about 1% as the majority of this month's index falls in December, but the optimism of those early January sellers flipped it around. With home-movers setting new search records on Rightmove and a lack of property for sale, the decision of post-New Year sellers to ask for a higher price could be a shrewd move. In spite of problems brewing for later in the year, there are definitiely some of the ingredients for a buoyant spring, and a window of opportunity that sellers may wish to take advantage of."
