Here's a turn-up for the books: the house market is doing better in 2019 than many commentators expected.

Agents report with a note of surprise there’s been “a resurgence in viewings” following the doldrums in November and December.

Lenny White, director of the Wycombe estate agency Keegan White says the upturn in properties being added to the books has encouraged buyers to check if there’s something new worth viewing. As a result there’s been a rise in offers from would-be purchasers particularly in the middle price bracket.

The number of sales being agreed, not vast but not bad given the circumstances, suggests buyers have weighed up the advantages against the risks and decided to carry on with their plans to move.

“There seems to be a feeling of what will be, will be,” says the agent. “Buyers we’re seeing want to get on with it. The property market has periodic ups and downs.

“There have been several recessions over the years. You have to be prepared for the dips. The market has always recovered and ended up on the right side.”

Darrell Litchfield, partner at the Crendon Street office of Wye Residential, agrees.

He said: “There are always people who either need to move or want to move,” he says. “In the weeks running up to Christmas they thought perhaps we should wait and see if the outlook is any better in the new year.

The number of viewings since the beginning of January has been surprising. The public are fed up to the back teeth with Brexit. They want to get their lives back into gear.”

Rachel Butcher, branch director of online agency EweMove Chilterns, says the advantage for sellers in the current market is the absence of time wasters. “Buyers are motivated, they’re decisive, they want to move.”

The main advice for sellers wanting a quick sale is the same as it always has been: first and foremost get the price right.“When the market was booming and properties were selling overnight two years ago or even 18 months ago you could afford to be optimistic with your pricing. Not now,” says Darrell Litchfield,

The other piece of advice passed on by all the experts is the importance of making your home stand out from the competition when buyers trawl through the properties listed for sale online.

Lenny White emphasises: “If the outside of the house looks attractive in the photograph, people will be motivated to look at the pictures of inside and read the details. If the outside doesn’t look inviting, you’ve lost them, they’ve moved on to the next house.”

“You never have a second chance to make a good first impression,” says the agent from Wye Residential.

One of the properties which caused a flurry of inquiries in the past week is a four bedroom house in Willoughbys Walk, Downley (pictured). It was briefly on the market through Keegan White for £450,000.

The house has the style and amenities families look for today. The kitchen is fitted with Bosch and AEG appliances. The sitting room has a drop down cinema screen plus projector to save you going to the Odeon. It’s like a show home. It first came on the market through Keegan White on October 22 last year. A sale was agreed on October 26 but the chain broke down.

The owners took the property off the market over the Christmas period and didn’t put it on again until last week. On Tuesday this week a sale to a new buyer was agreed.