HOUSING demand is at a record high, according to property portal Rightmove, who have recorded their busiest month ever with over 100 million hits in January.

With the general election just 10 weeks away, predictions that home-mover interest could slow have proved unfounded, according to the property website.

Increased demand for properties has contributed to new seller asking prices being up across all regions this month by a national average of over £5,000.

Miles Shipside, Rightmove director and housing market analyst, said: “For the right property at the right price, demand is outstripping supply and leading to some further upwards price pressure.

“However there is a limit to what the majority are willing or can afford to pay, especially with the tighter lending criteria.

“In locations where there is a tight-stock market, some different tactics are required for a successful move, as competition gets fiercer for quality homes as demand increases.”

Quality stock is in short supply in some locations and Rightmove suggests that this is unsurprising, given the structural under-supply of homes and the recovery from the economic downturn.

The 31 per cent increase in housing transactions in the last two years in England and Wales has outstripped the 11 per cent rise in the number of new properties coming to market.

Rightmove statistics show that the average available stock for sale per estate agency branch for the last two months (57 and 58 properties) has never been lower at the beginning of the year. New seller numbers this month are also four percent below those recorded in the same period in 2014.

Rightmove offers the following advice to those looking to move if there is a tight-stock market in your area: lIn this sort of market, you should find a buyer first – preferably one with patient timescales – and then start looking in earnest.

Until you have found somewhere make sure the respective conveyancers take things slowly and that you don’t incur premature costs, and the same goes for your buyer’s mortgage application and any fees .

Do not be pressurised into buying a property that does not suit your needs. If you cannot find the right home for you, delay the deal with your buyer until it comes along.

If nothing else comes along and you lose your prospective buyer, then the worst outcome is that you take your property off the market and stay put for now, though make sure that your agent operates a no-move no-commission policy.