According to a survey from ING direct bank, there are ten key indicators of an area “on the up” with the potential for rising house prices.

Surveyors are continuing to see a rise in the number of properties coming to the market, pushing the level of seller activity to its highest since May 2007.

When my supposed opponent announced that the best we could hope for for the rest of the year was that house prices would stay stable before they fell again, I thought I must have misheard.

The importance the Labour Government has attached to housing can be measured by the fact that there have been nine different housing ministers in the 13 years since the party came to power.

The latest house price index from Acadametrics, based on actual transaction prices and using Land Registry data, shows the average house price in March stands at £227,788.

The Knight Frank/Citi Private Bank survey reveals which city has knocked London off the top of the most influential cities.

As an aspiring first-time buyer, I suppose I should be grateful to Alistair Darling. At least, that’s the emotion the chancellor would presumably like me to feel.

Demand for purchase mortgages is forecast to increase over the next three months but lenders have told the Bank that supply of mortgages will remain unchanged for at least the next three months, as they don’t expect the housing market to improve significantly in the short-term.

From April 1 anybody producing their own energy can be paid per unit they generate – even if they consume all of it themselves.

The last two months are consistent with a relatively flat profile for house prices, in line with recent drops seen in buyer enquiries and house sales. With greater than usual political and economic uncertainty ahead of the upcoming election, potential homebuyers are proceeding cautiously