5
Oct
Estate agents association: Evidence of market recovery should be
welcomed
Evidence to support recent claims that the property market is
recovering should be welcomed, according to the National
Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).
Peter Bolton King, chief executive at the trade body, which is the
residential sales arm of the National Federation of Property
Professionals, said that recently released figures support the
reports of NAEA members.
His comments follow the publication of statistics from Nationwide,
which suggested that house prices have increased for the fifth
month in a row and are now on a par with values from a year
ago.
They also revealed that prices in Northern Ireland rose for the
first time in two years in the third quarter.
"House hunters need access to mortgages from the major lenders. The
government's flawed stamp duty policy also needs re-examining,
otherwise these positive signs risk being short-lived," stated Mr
Bolton King.
He added that market resurgence is a fragile process and is not
guaranteed.
