Property market set for growth

As Scottish house prices have sown their strongest growth since June 2007, the housing market looks set for a strong year of growth.

Some of this relatively new activity appears to be thanks to first time buyers, who have created a lot of activity at the lower end of the market.

At the same time, UK homeowners, questioned by Zoopla.co.uk, predicted a house price rise of over 7% between now and the summer, with smaller rises to follow later in the year. Overall, more than nine out of ten homeowners expect house prices in their area to rise - a massive increase from 65% last year and the highest proportion on record.

For Edinburgh property, a mixed picture develops. As a lot of the growth is fuelled by first time buyers looking for smaller properties, investors interested in the student property market can still find very interesting properties at great prices.

This is the case especially for larger, traditional tenement flats, perfect for sharing between three and six people. Whilst some of the opportunities on the market require refurbishment and other work to ensure they stand up to HMO regulation, the capital and rental yield on a long term investment speak for themselves.

Looking at the first time buyer market, there too are bargains to be found as more properties are coming on the market. Over the course of 2013, whilst prices were slowly starting to rise and mortgages were becoming more easily available, many potential sellers were holding back.

As positive news continues to be heard, more sellers will put their properties on the market, leading to more choice for buyers. We're not looking at a property bubble at this time, but at a recovering market.