Housing market sees upturn

In news that could be of interest to anyone looking to sell a house in Scotland, there has been an increase in property sales in the UK in recent weeks, according to new data.

Figures from the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) have shown that there were 11 per cent more homes sold in the UK last month than was the case in December 2007.

The NAEA was particularly glad to note that house-buying activity among people taking their first steps on to the property ladder rose by around three per cent compared to the same month of last year and accounted for 14.5 per cent of all sales in January.

"I am confident that we will have just started to see the benefit of the first interest rate cut in December and the latest quarter per cent decrease in February will further help boost the confidence of all buyers," said Peter Bolton King, the NAEA’s chief executive.

In other news that could impact people planning to buy a house in Scotland, HotProperty.co.uk recently revealed that record numbers of people used its home searching website last month.