Average house price is £172,828

According to the Univerity of Ulster Quarterly House Price survey values enjoyed a 3.4% increase over the quarter.

Detached houses (£256,767) have again performed strongly and terraced/townhouses have also maintained a high average price at £126,392 while semi-detached houses are only slightly more expensive at £132,635.

In contrast, the overall average sale price of detached bungalows is lower at £167,333.

The figures for the second quarter of 2013, has found that the volume of sales has been sustained at a reasonable level for the second consecutive quarter which suggests a tentative improvement in the Northern Ireland housing market.

The overall average price of a house in the second quarter - April, May and June – was £130,864, virtually unchanged from the previous quarter (£131,128). However, when taking into account the mix of housing types covered in the survey, the report recorded a weighted decline of 7.6% over the year.

The survey covered 1,409 open market transactions from a network of estate agents, a sample size which is highly comparable to that of the first quarter, suggesting a certain momentum in the housing market.

The report cautioned that performance across Northern Ireland remained vulnerable to negative events and news.

The authors of the report - Professor Alastair Adair, Dr John McCord, Professor Stanley McGreal and Dr David McIlhatton said: “The sustained improvement in the volume of transactions in the survey indicates momentum in the market and although the overall average price is virtually unchanged over the quarter, the stabilisation of price levels has - according to estate agents - led to an increase in first-time buyer activity.”