North shows fastest house price growth in the UK

House prices rose faster in the North than in any other part of the UK over the last three months, new property statistics show.

The latest RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) UK residential market survey also shows that the North bucked the general UK trend for house prices last month.

Only Northern Ireland and Scotland showed positive signs of house price growth last month.

More than 65 per cent of surveyors in London reported a drop in prices – the weakest reading since February 2009 – while house values also dipped from the southeast to the southwest of the UK.

Central Bank governor warns of potential fall in house prices

---

Central Bank sees ‘no evidence’ vulture funds more aggressive than banks

---

UK tax-haven move could have Irish business implications

---

Denis’s executive jet, the man suing France and Facebook’s dating intentions

---

Surveyors in the North reported that newly agreed sales, new buyer inquiries and new instructions to sell all rose strongly last month.

They also reported an uptick in the number of people putting their property on the market.

Encouraging

"It's encouraging that new buyer enquiries rose again after seeing falls for two months in February and March," said RICS Northern Ireland residential property spokesman Samuel Dickey.

“The new homes market is performing well, with strong levels of activity, and as we approach summer, resales activity should pick up, although lack of stock remains a concern in some areas.”