WOULD-BE bargain hunters forgot about Father Christmas and headed for new housing developments in December, says a new analysis of the housing market which shows a pick-up in site visitors and reservations on the previous month.

The Housing Market Report is compiled by the Home Builders Federation, and based on responses by member firms around the country.

It found fewer builders complaining of a falling number of site visitors, while figures for net reservations also showed an improvement. However, interest from potential investors in the buy-to-let sector has collapsed faster than any other.

The report says: “There are several possible explanations for the apparent improvement in December net reservations. It could merely represent a temporary blip, so that results will weaken again in January.

“Companies with half years or full years ending in December may have been heavily discounting to boost sales and cash flow. However, this would not explain the relative improvement in visitors.

“The most optimistic explanation is the December results signalled a genuine easing in the annual rate of decline of visitors and net reservations. ay from the trough, even a slower rate of decline would offer encouragement.”