More Britons ‘looking to make a property sale’

Posted 29/06/2009

Estate agents across the UK have reported an increase in the number of people looking to make a property sale.

According to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), one in six of its members have seen demand increase by a fifth since the beginning of the year.

The organisation has hailed this as an indicator of growing confidence in the housing market and a sign that it is over the worst.

However, it has said the situation could be improved even further if financial providers act positively and step up their lending.

“The government [should] further badger banks and building societies to respond to the opportunity to pull the situation around,” stated Gary Smith, president of the NAEA.

He described the increase in demand since the beginning of 2009 as “significant”, adding that this shows there are “plenty of buyers out there”.

According to figures released by the NAEA last week, the average estate agent had 299 prospective buyers on its books last month, compared with 265 in April.