2011 looks to have started well for Estate Agents in Devon and across the UK with the latest news from the NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents).  The NAEA have reported that their members saw a rise in demand from house hunters in January as well as an increase in the offers from sellers.

January saw the number of registered house hunters reach their highest levels for 6 months with an average of 252 per branch, up from 227 in December, according to data from the National Association of Estate Agents.

The President of the NAEA said the figures were “encouraging” he went on to say “However, when compared with our report from this time last year, the market is still showing signs of consumer reluctance. Macro-economic issues such as the VAT rise and interest rate pressures continue to put many people off searching for property.”

The NAEA also revealed figures that showed the number of houses put up for sale in January were on average 69, which is up from 64 in December. When the NAEA questioned 700 estate agents across the country a massive 45 per cent had said they had seen an increase in enquires from those looking to sell their property.

In other good news the Department for Communities revealed that house prices increased by 3.8 percent during the year with the average price of a property now standing at £208,148.