HOUSE PRICES in Yorkshire and the Humber are lagging behind the rest of the UK, a new survey has shown.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) recorded the first increases in house prices nationally for 15 months in a report published this week.
However, in Yorkshire, more evidence suggested prices falling rather than rising.
The figures point to the slowest fall in prices since mid 2004, with 14% more surveyors reporting a fall than those reporting a rise in Yorkshire.
In comparison with the national picture, 4% more surveyors reported a rise.
Interest rate cuts in August did not trigger a rise in buyer enquiries in Yorkshire, although there has been an upturn in the last two months.
In Wakefield, estate agent David Martindale of Abson Blazondale said: "There has been an increase in activity during the last month with house builders involved in part exchange and assisted sales attempting to get completed sales prior to Christmas."
Huddersfield estate agent Alex McNeil of Bramleys said:
"The market is receptive to new instructions, but it is more sensitive with a great level of negotiation required to secure a sale."
Relatively low interest rates and a healthy job climate have helped avoid the housing market crashes that have followed previous slowdowns in the 1970s and 1990s.
RICS predict a national rise of in prices of 4% for 2006, with their estimate of 3% for 2005 looking fairly accurate as the year nears its
