Prices are rising in most parts of the country with the exception of Northern Ireland, Wales, Yorkshire and Humberside and the West Midlands, the UK Housing Market Survey for May from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors shows.
Some 22% more chartered surveyors reported a rise than a fall in house prices, up from 19% in April, the survey shows.
Government announcements are already showing signs of impacting on the real estate market in England and Wales. Surveyors report that the decision to abolish HIPs has pushed more supply onto the market.
Also the net balance of surveyors reporting rises in new instructions moved from 11% in April to 21% in May. This trend is likely to continue in the near term.
In response to an additional question included in the survey for the first time some 73% of surveyors said that they expect the decision on HIPs to lead to higher levels of new instructions with the actual increase in supply anticipated to be around 15%.
Buyer interest continued to increase in May, albeit at almost the same pace as in April with 10% more chartered surveyors reported a rise in new buyer enquires in May, up from 9% the previous months.
Activity is expected to rise over the coming months with many surveyors slightly more optimistic than last month despite fears of cuts. The sales expectations net balance rose from 27% to 31%. However, the average number of completed sales fell by nearly 5%, pushing the sales to stock ratio, a key indicator of future house price inflation, from 28% in April to 27% in May.
‘Surveyors are generally confident that sales will continue to pick up over the summer months. The increase in supply as a result of the abolition of HIPs is helping to support this optimism despite continuing concerns about mortgage finance. A higher level of instructions should meanwhile also lead to a flatter trend in house prices in the latter part of the year,’ said RICS spokesperson, Ian Perry.
According to Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents those who held back in May for the official announcement on HIPs are likely to come onto the market in June.
‘Whilst house prices may dip in certain areas as additional properties come onto the market, in other areas, any increase in supply would still not be enough to meet the current demand.
In those areas of high demand where supply does increase, we might see a stabilisation in the rising prices of recent months,’ he said.
