There are signs the housing market may be beginning to recover following the publication of new figures showing a rise in sales over the past three months.

The number of homes changing hands rose 20% in the second quarter of this year compared with the first three months of 2012, the estate agents’ organisation NVM said on Thursday.
The NVM says the rise is due to uncertainty over potential changes to the property transfer tax, which was reduced from 6% to 2% last July for what should have been 12 months. However, MPs agreed in May to leave the tax at its present level, easing the pressure on buyers.
‘There is also a new sense of realism in the market,’ NVM chairman Ger Hukker said in a statement. ‘People are being more realistic about prices and the market is moving.’
Prices were down 0.7% on the first quarter, with the average price falling to €215,000, the NVM said.
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