Malcolm MacLeod, director of NHBC Scotland, says: "House building starts in Scotland for quarter three this year are down on the figures for 2000. Overall across the UK this last quarter has seen housing starts increase by four per cent against the third quarter for 2000, so the Scottish figures seem a little disappointing. We will have to watch what happens in the coming months to discern whether this is a short term blip or a long term trend."

In Scotland the average anticipated selling price of new homes (started by NHBC registered builders) during the third quarter of 2001 was £99,000, a three per cent increase on quarter three 2000 (£96,000). Based on actual selling price, the proportion of homes sold for over £100,000 was forty four per cent, an increase on the same period last year (35 per cent).

NHBC's first time buyers' ability to buy index increased by one point during the quarter to 107, a slight increase on the figure for the second quarter of 2001 (106). The index is based on a formula which takes into account the average cost of homes bought by first time buyers, average income and mortgage interest rates (from the Nationwide Building Society). The higher the index, the greater the ability to buy.

UK-wide figures show a total of 41,180 applications to start new homes during the quarter, a four per cent increase on the same period in 2000 (39,424). Of that total, 37,961 relate to private sector activity (i.e. excluding housing associations), and show a seven per cent increase on 2000 (35,598). Housing association starts totalled 3,219, a decrease of 16 per cent on quarter three 2000 (3,826).

NHBC UK figures show there were 37,851 new build completions during the third quarter of 2001, showing an increase of four per cent on the same quarter last year (36,273).

The figure for the average daily sales of new homes in the third quarter of 2001 is 534, an increase of six per cent on the same period a year ago (505).

Q3 2001 regional figures

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