Two-tier property market as activity picks up

Housing data point to a pick-up in building activity in the first half of 2014.

The housing completions figures, which cover up to April, show completions at 2,856, a 19% increase on completions in the same period in 2013.

Meanwhile, leading indicators of activity show signs of further improvement in residential construction. House guarantee registrations, which tend to reflect developer activity, were 52% higher in the year to May, compared to the same five-month period last year.