Surveyors say there was a marked difference in the progress of the housing market between the home nations last month, with Scotland and Northern Ireland faring the best.
The market is mixed across the UK, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).
It suggests central London is no longer the main driver of growth in the market as prices fell in the opinion of just under half of surveyors in the capital (49 per cent).
The strongest interest from buyers was in Scotland in January, the Rics says.
Some surveyors north of the border are of the opinion that a replacement for stamp duty, the land and buildings transaction tax, will inspire more first-time buyers to enter the market.
Nowhere in the UK are prices rising faster than in Northern Ireland. The Rics says 47 per cent of its members are reporting higher prices for property there.
Nearly two in five surveyors in Scotland are saying the same (38 per cent).
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