January may have scared new property enquiries away due to heavy snowfalls, but year on year property prices are truly picking up pace.

According to research by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the monthly house price balance – which represents the number of surveyors who report higher rather than lower property prices – has risen by +2 from December to an incredible +32.

And this is dramatically higher than previous consensus forecasts which predicted highs of only +28…

Speaking on their research the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has noted stark difference between regions. London and the South East of England appear to have experienced the strongest property price increases compared to Wales, Yorkshire, Humberside and the north of the UK where prices dropped slightly.

Admittedly homebuyer queries did drop to -20 in January from their highs of +18 in December. However property advisors are confident that these drops were simply triggered by the severe weather we experienced in January and are still optimistic that in the coming months interest will pick up again.

Surveyor confidence too seems to be on the rise. Of the surveyors who expected property sales to rise over the next quarter RICS noted a jump of +17 to +24, whilst those who felt property prices would continue rising jumped from +12 to +24…

The beginning of 2009 may have been a clear reflection of the impact the recession had had on the property market, but as the last 10 months clearly prove property prices are truly making a comeback.

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