Forecasts for the British property market are for a busy season this autumn.
Early indicators include annual house price growth across the nation, renewed mortgage lending, and buyer demand.
After a damp start to the year, house prices rose to a UK average of £274,000 in May while in London the average reached £503,000.
The national rate of growth was 5.7%, according to the Office for National Statistics.
London prices were up by 4.7% in the year to May, although the rapid rise in prices there has slowed down significantly due in part to stricter mortgage conditions for properties in the capital.
But areas of the East of England, which rocketed 9.3% in the year to May, and the South East, with an 8.2% rise, have continued to surge ahead.
Rapid increases here are believed to have come from families moving out of London to find bigger houses in commuter areas.
The UK’s general election is viewed as having been something of a barrier to house sales, but with the uncertainty over, buying and selling has resumed.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders reported a slight increase in lending to £15.9bn in May and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors said demand was increasing.
