Northern Ireland house prices continued to rise in the third quarter of this year, according to a survey.

Surveyors also remain optimistic about the outlook for the market, despite a lack of properties becoming available for sale, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Ulster Bank Residential Market Survey.

A balance of +44% of Northern Ireland surveyors responding to the survey said that house prices rose in the July to September period, and a net balance of +30% expect prices to rise again in the next three months.

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Northern Ireland was one of only two regions in the UK where a rise was reported in the number of sales during September, but growth was relatively modest compared with previous months.

Northern Ireland also remains the most optimistic in the UK with regards to sales outlook with a balance of +33% of respondents saying that they expect an increase in the number of properties sold in the final quarter of the year.

RICS Residential Property Spokesman, Samuel Dickey said: "The market moves into the autumn with some momentum and good demand. Northern Ireland and Wales were the only areas reported to have seen a rise in sales during September and while the growth is modest, expectations remain firmly in positive territory for the last quarter of the year. The key challenge though remains supply, with surveyors continuing to indicate that availability of stock remains a problem."