UK home owners remain optimistic

The results of two separate studies show that on the whole more UK property owners expect house prices to increase rather than to slip in the coming months despite current economic conditions. In a survey from the Halifax more than a third of homeowners expect the average cost of UK properties to rise during the next twelve months while less than twenty per cent of those questioned expected to see prices decline. Halifax economists acknowledge that consumer confidence has fallen slightly from earlier in the year but forecasts remain in place for a steady continuance of current conditions providing nothing too outrageous occurs financially in the months ahead The results of the second study from Zoopla differ slightly but again a higher percentage of UK property owners believe prices will improve over the next year. Not surprisingly consumer confidence was highest among London property owners whereas in the East Midland and parts of the North East of England confidence levels were much lower.