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The Scottish housing market continues to be "marred" by weak supply and high demand, according to surveyors.

A survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) found demand remained steady in April, with a net balance of 23% of respondents reporting new buyer inquiries were up. But it also suggested the property market was "constrained".

Rics said the "critical issue" for the market remained a lack of second-hand supply. According to its latest Residential Market Survey, respondents across nine UK regions reported declines last month in new property for sale coming onto the market

Award-winning brand Auction House has been joined by Hampshire-based auctioneer Pearsons, increasing the company’s total number of auction rooms nationwide to 37.

Pearsons were established in the year 1900, and are now one of the most successful auctioneers in the area, with a total of 13 agency branches across the region.

Auction House Founding Director Roger Lake, said: “We are delighted to welcome Pearsons to our ranks. They are a significant player in the industry with years of auction experience behind them. This move gives Auction House additional coverage on the south coast – including

Network Auctions' sale on May 1st saw strong signs of improved sentiment in both the residential development sector and in commercial investment.

Toby Limbrick, Managing Director at Network Auctions, said: “Residential sales by auction have been strong for some time but it was noticeable that there was much stronger positive sentiment being shown in regards residential development opportunities at our latest auction.

Two lots in particular, Lot 12 a development site in Hemel Hempstead and Lot 17, a development site in Romford, achieved £387,000 and £690,000 respectively, both prices well above

House sales have lifted to their strongest levels in six years as expectations that property prices are set to lift higher broaden out across the country, surveyors have reported. But there are also signs that the pace of strong house price growth seen in London could cool in the second half of the year, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' (Rics) housing market report for April found.

Some 23 homes were sold per surveyor on average in the three months to April, marking the highest figure seen since February 2008.

Heading into the summer, an overall balance of 33% of surveyors

The cost of renting a two-bedroom flat has topped £1,000 in all but two London boroughs, according to a new study by Zoopla. The only areas where Generation Rent can hope to find a home for less than four figures are Havering in east London and Bexley in the south-east, with average monthly rents of £947 and £928 respectively.

Rent rises in the past year mean that average rents on two-bedroom flats in a quarter of London’s boroughs now top £2,000 a month, according to the study.

It found that in Westminster the average two-bedroom rent stands at £4,174, while rents in the City, Kensington and

New figures published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) have highlighted a considerable annual reduction in the level of interest-only mortgage debt in the UK. According to CML, home owners in the UK with interest only mortgages are taking action to reduce the risk of not being able to repay their loan when it matures.

Based on a CML survey representing around 96% of the market, at the end of 2013 there were an estimated 2.2 million pure interest only loans outstanding, and a further 620,000 part interest only, part repayment mortgages outstanding on lenders' books. Compared to 2012

A Lake District mountain has been put up for sale as its owner attempts to pay off a hefty tax bill.

Blencathra, a 2,850ft (868m) high peak that imposes itself across the Northern Fells, has been placed on the market for £1.75 million.

Known as Saddleback due to its distinctive shape, the mountain was dubbed "one of the grandest objects in Lakeland and one of the best known" by Alfred Wainwright. But the Earl of Lonsdale, Hugh Lowther, has been forced to try and sell the 2,676 acre plot to help pay off the reported £9m tax he owes from his father's inheritance.

"My family have owned Blencathra

A flat in West London has sold for a record British price of more than £140m, according to a report.

The 16,000-square-foot duplex penthouse, one of four at the One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge, was sold to a buyer from Eastern Europe, thought to be either a Russian or Ukrainian, The Times newspaper said. It has been bought as an empty shell and there were estimates it could cost £20m to fit it out to the expected standard of décor and furnishings.

One Hyde Park has been described as the world’s most expensive block of flats. It was developed by CPC Group and Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al

House prices in Blaenau Gwent have seen the biggest annual fall in Wales and England, according to new figures. The average price in the county, whose main towns include Ebbw Vale and Tredegar, plunged by 15.7% to £61,860.

All regions across England have seen prices rise year-on-year, but in Wales they fell by 1.6% annually to £113,275 on average, says the Land Registry.

Overall, combined house prices for England and Wales lifted by 5.6% year-on-year to March to continue their growth at the fastest rate in nearly four years. But London property values are rising twice as quickly as the

Annual house price growth in the UK has hit double digits for the first time in four years, the Nationwide has said.

In the year to April, prices rose by 10.9%, the first annual double-digit growth since April 2010 and the fastest rate since June 2007. The news may scotch other suggestions that the housing market has been cooling over the last few months.

This week the Land Registry - which records actual sales - said prices fell by 0.4% in March. But the Nationwide believes prices have now resumed their upward trend, saying that the average UK house price now stood at £183,577.

Once again