Average price of home up 0.4% in Msy

Nationwide publish their monthly market report.

• Price of a typical home increased by 0.4% in May and was 1.1% higher than May 2012
• The typical UK home is now worth £167,912

Commenting on the figures, Robert Gardner, Nationwide's Chief Economist, said:

“House prices edged up by 0.4% in May, providing further support for the view that the housing market is gradually gaining momentum. The three month on three month measure of house prices, which is a smoother measure of the underlying trend, has been in positive territory since October last year. The annual rate of house price growth also ticked up to 1.1% in May - the fastest pace since November 2011.

“It’s not just prices - a number of measures of housing market activity have also started to move higher. In the first four months of 2013 the number of property transactions was running at around 5% above the monthly average prevailing in 2012. The number of mortgage approvals for house purchase in the first quarter of 2013 was also around 4% above last year’s monthly average.

“A number of factors are likely to be contributing to the pick up in activity. There has been an improvement in the availability and a reduction in the cost of credit, partly as a result of policy measures, such as the Funding for Lending Scheme. Indeed, mortgage rates have fallen back towards all time lows in recent months.

“With the UK returning to growth in the first quarter of 2013, the improvement in wider economic conditions may also be playing a role in boosting sentiment.”

For more information please see the full report: http://www.nationwide.co.uk/mediacentre/housepriceindex/default.htm