Estate agentsHouse prices are falling and more drops are expected in the coming months, surveyors have said.

A balance of 24% more surveyors reported falling rather than rising prices last month, the most negative reading since June 2011, said the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

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London, which has had strong interest from overseas buyers, is the only region where more surveyors reported price rises than falls. The West and East Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside were the areas where surveyors were the most likely to report prices falling.

The start of the school holidays meant activity in the market tailed off further, with the number of new sellers coming to market declining for the third month in a row, while demand from buyers remained broadly flat despite the wet weather, the study said.

RICS said it had found marked regional differences however, with the North and North West regions seeing demand from buyers generally rising over the last four months in a row, while demand has either been unchanged or dropped off elsewhere.

Some 15.1 sales per surveyor were recorded over a three month period, the lowest figure seen since October last year.

RICS said that the the difficulties many buyers are having in getting a mortgage has contributed to the drop in transactions.

Sales are expected to pick up slightly in the next few months, but both prices and sales figures are likely to show a deterioration in the next year, the study found.

Peter Bolton King, RICS global residential director, said: "Despite the terrible weather seen in many parts of the county last month, a steady number of potential buyers still got out there to test the market. However, this didn't result in a higher level of actual transactions.

"Fewer sellers are putting their homes up for sale and the ongoing problem of accessing affordable finance is not helping. If vendors want to sell their homes quickly, they will have to be realistic in their price expectations."

House photos guaranteed to put buyers off

  • A bear in the tub
    <p> We're not quite sure that the bear adds anything to this listing, maybe it's meant to avert your attention from the dreary decor?</p>
    A bear in the tub
  • Diabolical decoration
    <p> The seller is obviously a horror film fan. However, it might be an idea to remove all murder evidence before putting your house on the market, even if it is fake!</p>
    Diabolical decoration
  • Shared accomodation
    <p> Does the doll come free with the house? We hope not. It's a little creepy...</p>
    Shared accomodation
  • Who needs a driveway?
    <p> This real estate agent probably should have waited until the car was moved.&nbsp;</p>
    Who needs a driveway?
  • Bathtub with legs
    <p> Much like the bear in the tub, this is another bizarre bathroom addition.&nbsp;</p>
    Bathtub with legs
  • Learn to crop
    <p> If you're going to take pictures with others around, &nbsp; at least crop them out. It might also be an idea to put a shirt on too...</p> <p> We don't want to know what the couple are up to in this photo.</p>
    Learn to crop
  • Sunbathing
    <p> Every good house needs a pool, just without the additional flotsam</p>
    Sunbathing
  • Girls not included
    <p> One fail-safe way to generate interest is to get some pretty girls involved. This seller obviously has their head screwed on.</p>
    Girls not included
  • Clean up your mess
    <p> Estate agents tell us that a house should always be clean and presentable when people come to view. The advice obviously fell on deaf ears here.</p>
    Clean up your mess


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