The number of houses changing hands in the third quarter this year is down 10% on a year ago, the real estate agents association NVM said on Thursday.

At the beginning of this year, sales were rising again but uncertainties about mortgage tax relief and other factors have hit the market, the NVM said.
Some 185,000 houses are currently on the market and around 60,000 have been for sale for over one year. Some 12% were put up for sale over two years ago.