maybe now

Media/press have been coming under pressure to print only good news about the property market by interested parties - ie builders and estate agents. Headline in one of the Daily Express that sales are 40% up and asking prices are going up!!! The key word here is ASKING - not selling or achieving prices. Vendors can ask what they like for property - but if we are all stupid enough to go out and panic buy and get into bidding war we will create the upward sinario. Any would be buyers should read between the headlines carefully http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/96493/...nding-rises-16-

See BOI Quarterly House price index for past 4 years - based on actual sales figures Belfast_House_prices.doc Belfast_House_prices.doc

The The first 2009 Quarterly house price index should be out next week so should be interesting to see if actual sales averages have come down and then I can beat the estate agent/vendor with them.

I have been doing some research on the quarterly house price index produced with Bank of Ireland and have compiled a table to sum up the past 3 years figures. These are based on actual sales figure averages. I am currently looking for a property in BT9 area and was told by one EA that they were now thinking "unofficially" along the lines of 2005 prices. Asking Prices on Property news do not reflect these figures which makes it difficult to go in with an offer. see attached Belfast_House_prices.doc Belfast_House_prices.doc