Agent is hopeful as home sales resume

ONE estate agent is cautiously optimistic for the year ahead.

Swoffers local market director Spencer Noyon (pictured) said the company had so far seen almost 30 sales agreed so far this year.

'While 2008 was a year of stability, there certainly appears to be more confidence in the market now,' he said.

Local housing prices for quarter four of 2008, released this week by the Policy Council, stood at £342,000 - a 2.7% decrease on the previous quarter, but an overall annual increase of 3.3%.

'Clearly people are feeling that after a quiet time taking stock of what has happened in the financial world, now is the right time to act,' he said.

Mr Noyon said that in the same way as average house prices rose steeply towards the end of last year with a high volume of large sales, there was now a slight fall in the average because of the number of flats being sold.

The average price of an apartment increased 14.4% on the previous quarter and made up 27% of all local market sales during the three-month period.