THE onset of spring has boosted property sales with house price inflation easing and more buyers returning to the market, a report claims today.

Hometrack's March survey reported a fall in prices of 0.1 per cent - the smallest decrease recorded for more than six months.

Average house prices now stand at '162,300, down from a peak of '167,700 in June last year.

Agreed sales rose 16.5 per cent, partly due to an increase in the number of buyers registered by 6.2 per cent and a decrease in the amount of time it takes to sell a property from 7.6 weeks in February to 7.4 weeks in March.

It is only the second time that the number of buyers registered with estate agents has increased since May last year, the property research company reported.

And with buyers coming back to the market, the discounts that are being negotiated on asking price have decreased for the second month running.

This month the average sales price as a percentage of asking price was 93.4 per cent compared to 93.3 per cent in February's survey.