Surprise increase in house prices - Halifax

The mortgage lender adds that while prices rose 15.1% over 2004, they increased by just 2.8% in the second half of the year. The last quarterly rise of 0.1% was the lowest since the second quarter of 2000. December saw the average price of a home in the UK hit £162,086, according to Halifax's figures. Northern England regions continue to see prices gain, recording the highest price increases in Britain during the fourth quarter. The North West and Yorkshire and Humber, recorded 3% and 1.2% price increases respectively, while Wales fell most, shedding 6.2%. The South East saw avera...