Connells has reported a buoyant start to the year.

It says that sales instructions were up 1% in the first quarter, the number of buyers entering the market was up 31%, and sales agreed were up by 7%, compared with the same quarter last year.

The average value of a home sold by Connells was £245,650, up 1% since the start of this year. The group is predicting a further 2% rise this quarter.

Connells also reports a robust lettings performance, handling a 21% rise in supply over the first quarter. While demand still outweighs supply, with 6.5 registered applications for each new instruction, this represents a 15% contraction on an annual basis.

Connells’ mortgages division has reported significant uplift in activity both among home movers and first-time buyers.