House price inflation 3.3%, says ODPM

Over the summer there was speculation house price inflation would eventually cease or even turn negative in 2005, but the latest figures, based on a sample of 50,000 mortgage completions, contribute to the evidence that the housing market is gradually firming, says RICS, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.  House prices rose by 0.3% between August to September, compared to a small fall of 0.2% seen over the same period last year, according to ODPM figures. RICS says house price rises have slowed from a high of 14.3% in July 2004 - as identified by ODPM - because of the impact of ri...