House prices rise again in March
March marked the twelfth month of consecutive house price growth leaving the average UK home costing £205,598, Government figures have shown.
The annual rate at which house prices are continuing to rise also reached a two-and-a-half year peak as prices rose 0.7% in March alone following a minor dip in February when they fell by a slim 0.1%.
The rate of growth was at its highest level since November 2007 as the housing market continues to benefit from an imbalance between the number of buyers and sellers currently in the market.
Prices were 9.7% higher than they were a year ago in the midst of the economic downturn.
Homeowners in London and South East again fared better than anywhere else in the country as the home counties continued to spearhead growth. Prices in London were 15.6% higher than they were a year ago, while in the South East they were up by 11.3%.
However, homeowners in the North West saw house price inflation drop to 5.1% from 5.4% in February.
Experts have also warned that the market could falter in coming months as a large number of sellers enter the market, addressing the mismatch in supply and demand that has sustained prices in the past year.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
All articles are copyright The Press Association 2010. News articles provided by The Press Association for Family Investments. Whilst every care it taken to ensure accuracy of editorial content, Family Investments takes no responsibility for any errors or omissions. The views expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of Family Investments.