20
Jan
Property searches increase, NAEA finds
The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has discovered
that the number of people searching for property in the UK
increased by more than 25 per cent in the 12 months to
December.
According to the organisation's data, the average estate agent had 251 house hunters on its books in
December last year, compared with just 200 in the same month of
2008.
In terms of sales figures, there was a fall in the number of sales
agreed in December compared with the previous month, although the
association stressed that this was expected due to the Christmas
period.
Gary Smith, president of the NAEA, commented: "Given the usual
seasonal lull, these figures are very much in line with our
expectations but nevertheless continue to demonstrate a marked
improvement on December 2008."
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors released research
earlier in January which revealed that 17 per cent more of its
members recorded a rise in the number of new instructions in
December compared with a month earlier.