Connells has recorded a 15% year-on-year upswing in the number of homes it sells, while new instructions are up 22%.

The company said it sold over 9,000 new homes in 2017, which was a record for the business.

Connells has relationships with most of the UK’s major national house builders, as well as a number of regional firms.

It also continues to act for a number of house builders in the regeneration of Birmingham City Centre.

Its new homes team works with its land and planning division, whose land and investment deals added a further 2,750 homes to the group’s pipeline.

The pipeline was 31% higher at the beginning of this year than it was on January 1, 2017, the company claimed.

Connells has 600 local offices and new homes are sold under the Connells and Sequence brands, as well as others.

Stephen Shipperley, Connells Group chairman, said: “Despite a difficult housing market, our new homes business continues to expand and perform well. Our expertise and reputation, coupled with our national estate agency network, helped us sell a record number of new homes last year.”

“We know from our estate agency branches that there is a marked increase in the number of people registering an interest to move home this year and a continued demand for new homes.

“We are, therefore, optimistic for another strong year in close collaboration with our house builder partners, and look forward to ensuring they make the most of the market and benefit from the added value that we bring.”