UK House Prices See First Gains in 2 Years on Low Supply

Thursday, October 15, 2009 , Posted by Prasanth at 12:45 AM

UK House Prices grew for the first time in over two years, adding 10.7% in August according to a survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), an industry association for real estate agents. Economists were forecasting a flat result ahead of the release. The rebound may not reflect a rebound in demand however: RICS chief economist Simon Robinsohn said “Its fair to say that a lack of supply is driving the rise in house prices,” adding that it would be “foolish to believe prices are going to go up in a straight line” from here and predicting that “2010 will be a more difficult year.” Indeed, the number of for-sale properties per real estate agent fell by about 23% from a year earlier. Rising unemployment looks to be the central challenge to a sustainable recovery in housing, trimming incomes and weighing on purchasing power. The jobless printed at 4.9% in July, the highest in nearly 12 years, and is expected to top 9% next year.

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