National rise of 2.8% (£6,533) in new sellers’ asking prices masks two-tier UK property market
Asking prices in the south rise by 4.7% to set new records while the north falls back 0.7% to levels first achieved over six years ago in May 2005
Average property prices in the south (£336,743) are now more than double those in the north (£164,347)
Highest mortgage approvals since November 2009, indicating a slight easing in the mortgage famine, with low-rate deals likely to help home movers in the deposit-rich south while public sector job losses hit prices in the north
