The number of homes put up for sale in the second quarter of this year and valued at over £500,000 increased by almost a third (30%) compared with the same period a year ago, while the number of homes in the £250,000 to £500,000 price band went up by 16%

According to Experian, homes worth more than £250,000 represented 41% of properties first marketed between April and June, up from 37% a year ago.

Overall, the number of properties put up for sale between April and June was up by 9.6%.

However, Experian also reports a 4.3% drop in rental properties coming to the market, with falls of 10.5% across outer London and 8.8% in the south-east.

The north-east and Wales were the only areas with a growth in newly marketed rental properties – up 4.3% and 1.8%.