THERE has never been a better time to sell your home, the latest House Price Index suggests - and Gwent is seeing an increase in interest in the market.

The House Price Index, released by Rightmove, highest number of sales agreed in a month since they started tracking this data more than ten years ago.

House value is also going up, with Wales seeing a 2.9 per cent increase to last month, and a 5.8 per cent annual increase.

The average price of a new property on the market in Wales this month was £212,800, a record high in the country, up from £206,900 last month.

Estate agents in Gwent say they have seen the growth in interest first hand.

Katie Darlow, of Number One Real Estate, in Bridge Street, Newport, said there were more buyers looking for property this year than would usually be expected.

READ MORE:

She said: "We have definitely noticed an increase in the market.

"We were a bit apprehensive about what would happen coming out of lockdown but what we have seen so far is that people are very keen to get moving.

"Prices have definitely held up well, and in some cases even gone up.

"The market is arguably in a better position now than it was pre-lockdown. We don't know what will happen moving forward but it is certainly doing well right now.

"This is always a particularly busy time for house buyers, but we not only have the summer buyers now, we have all those who were unable to buy the past three months due to the lockdown."

Miles Shipside, Rightmove director and housing market analyst added:“There have been many changes as a result of the unprecedented pandemic, and these include a rewriting of the previously predictable seasonal rulebook for housing market activity and prices.

"Home movers are both marketing and buying more property than we have recorded in any previous month for over ten years, helping push prices to their highest ever level in seven regions.

"Rather than just a release of existing pent-up demand due to the suspension of the housing market during lockdown, there’s an added layer of additional demand due to people’s changed housing priorities after the experience of lockdown.

"This is also keeping up the momentum of the unexpected mini-boom, which is now going longer and faster.

"We associate this time of year with diving into the pool rather than the property market, and of sand and sun rather than bricks and mortar, but buyers have had a record £37 billion monthly spending spree.”