What lies ahead for the property market of 2010?

We believe that the property market will continue to improve slowly throughout the course of this year.  We are seeing a lot of cash purchasers coming into the market to secure a good, safe return on their investments.  We anticipate a slow but steady start to the year. The property market will continue to improve with more properties coming onto the market with the advent of the conservatives abolishing HIPs in the summer and with Mortgage lenders becoming more realistic with their lending requirements as property prices remain stable and their need to lend increase.

Lloyd Davies, Convey law

What do other experts in the market think:

It would be wrong to expect a continuation of the current rapid recovery in the housing market, as the economy is not in a position to permit this in the short term. Similarly, it would be wrong to expect carnage.

Liam Bailey, Knight Frank

This year’s rise in house prices, driven by an acute shortage of property, does not look sustainable. We still think that prices will fall by between 35 per cent and 40 per cent from their peak. While it is difficult to judge when prices will turn lower, we have penciled in falls of 10 per cent in 2010.

Ed Stansfield, Capital Economics

The stock of property for sale remains extremely limited, forcing prices upwards. I expect to see this change rapidly in the New Year as people are encouraged to come to market by rising prices, which could in turn bring about a second dip in property values.

James Hyman, Cluttons

The volatility in the stock market throughout 2009 has helped to fuel the feeling of financial insecurity and many have turned to the old favourite bricks and mortar. Property still holds a magnetic appeal in the medium term to savers and investors alike. We will see not only an improvement in the market itself but an increase in the number of deals.

Gary Hersham, Beauchamp Estates

Interest rates will not change in the first half of the year. However, when they do start to rise again, maybe in the middle part of 2010, it could prevent anyone looking to upsize from being able to move.

Caroline Kavanagh, Townends & Regents estate agents

Certain properties will continue to defy market conditions and sell well, in many cases at 2007 levels. Growth next year will be strongest in prime Central London and ripple out most quickly to the South East and prime centre’s, such as Oxford, Cambridge, Winchester, Bath and Harrogate.

Catherine Penman, Carter Jonas

Central and southwest London are already experiencing better-than average house-price growth and are expected to continue leading the way in the house-price recovery into 2010. These family movers will also push up house prices in the suburbs of all of the major UK cities.

Scotland and the South East look well placed to strengthen. There will, however, be significant challenges in areas with large numbers of manual labourers, below-average wages and a higher incidence of credit-challenged borrowers. These locations, scattered through the whole of the UK, may even experience falls next year.

Stuart Law, Assetz

With low levels of stock and growing confidence and demand people will have to broaden their search if they want to find value. Areas such as East Sussex and Kent, which have been lagging in the recovery, will benefit from this effect and there will be a direct impact on prices.

Philip Harvey, Property Vision, South East

Smaller niche sites of well-designed family housing will see moderate growth in 2010, fuelled by lack of supply. Opportunities for first-time buyers will continue to be an issue as lenders stay cautious and deposit demands remain high; this may have a longer term effect on the overall housing market recovery.

James Gibson, Sovereign housing association

The Government will want to do its utmost to get some feel-good factor into the public psyche before the general election. There will be further pressure exerted on the banks to increase the residential lending necessary to stimulate the housing market.

Roger Russ, Tyser Greenwood Surveyors

The gulf between good properties and the very best has now widened. If people have taken a bath on their stocks and shares, perhaps they have made a promise to themselves to be more careful with their investments.

Lulu Egerton, Strutt & Parker

Extract from The Times