Property news: Rise in asking prices

Asking prices rise at fastest rate for eight years
Asking prices are up by 4.9 per cent in the first three months of 2012, the largest quarterly increase since 2004, according to Rightmove.

The property firm says new sellers increased their prices by an average of 1.6 per cent or £3,687 in March alone. Read more on this story

The mortgages that help first-time buyers beat Stamp Duty
A new breed of mortgage has been launched to help first-time buyers meet the cost of Stamp Duty, which is set to increase for many from this Sunday.

But are the deals any good or are the giveaways simply gimmicks? Read more on this story

£501 house goes for £8,250 – still the cheapest in the UK, say auctioneers
Old-fashioned auctioning in a crowded hotel lounge has jacked up the price of a worn-out end-of-terrace house in county Durham which earlier attracted only one bid of £501 online.

The Guardian Northerner featured the dilapidated bargain last week when the official reserve for the property, 29 Church Street in Ferryhill Station, was all but out of sight, at £10,000. Read more on this story