B&B says the property market is still booming

The property market is still booming despite reports of

a slowdown, according to the

latest report from Bradford & Bingley Estate Agents.

Nationally, the average time taken to find a buyer is still only nine weeks, the same as in June this year.

Stokesley and Yarm in North Yorkshire are both seeing sellers find a buyer for their house in one week or less. Other places bucking the

so-called slowdown trend

include towns such as Ivybridge in Devon or Gorleston in Norfolk.

The report concedes the average selling time in the North has increased since June to 13 weeks from 10 weeks.

Although the percentage of people receiving their original asking price is still 97 per cent, this figure has fallen slightly since June. B&B believe house sellers will have to become more conservative in setting their asking price over the next few months.

Flats were revealed to be the quickest properties to find buyers closely followed by semi-detached houses. Detached houses take the longest to find a buyer at an average

of 11 weeks.

B&B Estate Agents chief operating officer Jim Jamieson says: “When the market was

at a peak earlier in the year, people were finding a prop-

erty before putting their own on the market.

“Fortunately, we are now seeing evidence of people selling their own property at the same time or even before looking to buy the home of their dreams. With good quality and realistically priced homes continuing to sell quickly, our advice still has to be to put your house on the market before you look to buy.”