Northern Ireland house sales and new buyer demand recovers, survey finds

House sales and new buyer demand recovered last month despite a challenging economic landscape, a report has found.

According to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, the sales outlook in Northern Ireland is "relatively optimistic".

Sales moved back into positive territory in May.

Samuel Dickey from RICS said: "It is encouraging that surveyors reported a pick-up in agree sales in May having seen a dip in April.

"Otherwise, indicators appear relatively steady with values continuing to hold and indeed if anything edge upwards.

"Surveyors are also continuing to report seeing new buyers active in the market, which bodes well for activity.

"Comparing the latest survey to the wider UK results, overall, surveyors in NI continue to be more optimistic about the next number of months."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.