This is according to the National Association of Estate Agents’ market report for December which showed the rise in interest compared with December 2010 when demand for property reduced to 227, from 241 in November.
NAEA president Wendy Evans-Scott said: “It is pleasing to see that prospective house-hunters remained determined to continue their search for a home despite the slowdown we normally expect to see at this busy time of the year.
“While this has not currently converted into actual sales, which were slightly lower than in previous months, I remain confident that this clear demand for property will be met with sensible pricing of homes by sellers in 2012.”
The number of homes available for sale decreased from 65 per branch in November to 62 in December last year, while the number of sales also decreased, from 6 per branch to 5 per branch on average, its lowest level in a year.
This figure is the same as in December 2010 and a reduced level is what one would expect at this time of the year.
The percentage of sales made to first-time buyers actually increased from 19% in November 2011 to 21% in December, although this figure is down on 2010 when this part of the market held a 25% share.
