House prices to rise, say homeowners - Telegraph

House prices to rise, say homeowners - Telegraph

According to the latest Zoopla.co.uk Housing Market Sentiment Survey, confidence in the market outlook has strengthened from its record low at the end of last year when just over half of home owners expected prices to rise.

Home owners are also more optimistic about the amount by which they expect house prices to rise in the coming months, estimated to increase by an average of 2.8pc over the next six months.

The research indicates that home owners are more optimistic about the value of their own properties rather then their neighbours, predicting the price of their own home to grow by 3.2pc over the next six months while they expect overall prices for property in their area to rise by only 2.8pc.

Improved confidence in the future of the property market combined with the arrival of spring has resulted in a rise in the number of home owners planning to conduct home improvements over the next six months to 40pc of all households. The research also found that many home owners feel that lending conditions are improving, with 12pc of respondents stating that mortgage availability is better now than three months ago.