The NAEA says that in March, supply dropped for the sixth consecutive month, from an average of 57 properties per branch in September 2013 to 42 in March 2014 – nearing a ten-year low.

According to the NAEA, nearly one in five (19%) properties sold for more than the asking price in March, nearly three times the 7% recorded when NAEA first collected this data last September.

NAEA member agents also reported an increase in the average number of sales agreed per branch, up from nine in February to ten in March.

Jan Hÿtch, NAEA president, said: “The supply crisis continues to deepen, and the Government must act now to offer house hunters hope in an increasingly congested market.

“Current conditions mean that in just a few months we’ve seen a large increase in the amount of people willing to offer over market price to secure homes.

“Overall property sales may be up, but the proportion of first-timers purchasing a property is down, and with the significant changes that the Mortgage Market Review will bring just around the corner, we’ll be watching closely to see what kind of an impact is felt.”