House sales show year-on-year rise
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The number of homes sold last month was significantly up the numbers sold in December 2008, even with a drop in sales over Christmas.
The latest figures from Agency Express, a nationwide ‘for sale’ board company, show that the number of houses sold in December represented a year-on-year increase of 45.6%.
House sales in December fell 33.2% compared to November, which Agency Express attributes to the usual drop in sales over the Christmas period.
December marked the eighth month in a row in which last year’s monthly house sales outweighed the corresponding monthly sales of 2008.
Although all UK regions saw a significant fall in house sales last month Central England, East Anglia, North West, North East, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire all had their best December for two years.
Oxford experienced the worst drop in the number of homes sold last month with a monthly fall of 60.3%, while Leicester gained in the number of agreed sales with an 11.8% increase.
The number of ‘for sale’ signs that were erected in the UK decreased in December by 46.3%
Stephen Watson, managing director at Agency Express, says: “To see house sales drop off in the run up to the festive season was no surprise at all but the fact that since May 2009 monthly sales have been greater than the corresponding months in 2008 shows that there is a real basis of optimism for 2010.
“Although we tend not to see much activity at all after the middle of December as people prepare for Christmas, the spectre of Stamp Duty being reintroduced in the New Year may have encouraged a few more people to complete.”
