04/06/2002

House price rises outstrip market forecasts

The Halifax, the UK's biggest mortgage lender, has said that house prices in May grew at a record rate.

The monthly house price survey revealed that property prices grew by 4.2% in the period April to May this year. The average house price in the UK now stands at over £107,000, up 18.5% on the price of the average house this time last year.

The Halifax attributed the continuing upward spiral of house prices to low unemployment, low interest rates, and a property shortage in several crucial areas.

Property market analysts have had to rip up their early to mid-year forecasts for the sector as prices radically outstriped the Halifax's overly conservative estimates, which at one point were put at just 0.7% a month. Although rival mortgage lender the Nationwide were closer to the mark with a forecast of just over 3%, this figure seems modest compared to the final figure which passed 4%.

However, a Halifax spokesperson maintained that there would be a moderation of house price increases in the latter part of the year as the buoyant house market settled.

Analysts believes that the rampant price increases in the housing sector are likely to be a key factor if the Bank of England decide to raise interest rates due to inflationary pressures within the UK economy.

(SP)

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