Overall interest in Northern Ireland’s housing market was the strongest during October in five years, the latest monthly report from PropertyPal suggests. The volume of sales enquiries rose significantly, reflecting an increase in buyer activity and strong market momentum.

Traffic to PropertyPal was up 16% year-on-year in October to 134,000 visits per day, making it the busiest October since 2019, according to the housing portal’s monthly snapshot.

Sales enquiries rose 14%, with properties listed for sale reaching sale agreed four days faster than in October 2023. For new builds homes, the average price is now £246,000, showing a year-on-year growth of 4.2%.

Jordan Buchanan, CEO at PropertyPal commented: “Last month saw significant growth in the residential sales market, with strong performance across all key metrics. Over the past year, PropertyPal searches have risen by 16%, enquiries to estate agents by 14%, and most notably, newly agreed sales by an impressive 22%. This activity has contributed to upward pressure on prices, with the average house price now 6% higher than a year ago.

“Looking ahead, the path of interest rates remains a key source of uncertainty for the market in the coming year. While the Bank of England recently reduced the base rate, this was already largely reflected in lenders’ mortgage rates. Since the UK Budget, mortgage rates have edged upward, signalling expectations that the path of interest rates for 2025 could be slightly higher than previously anticipated.”