A record 22.3m inquires about a house or flat were logged via a property portal

Search site says it is also making more money from advertisers, boosting pre-tax profits by 31% to £59m

A record 22.3m inquires about a house or flat were logged via the property portal Rightmove in the first six months of the year, in a sign that the UK housing market remains buoyant.

Rightmove said it was also making more money from advertisers. More companies have been buying space on its website, while average revenue per advertiser rose 13% to £671 a month, as advertisers opt for more expensive ad packages.

The surge in revenue helped boost Rightmove's pre-tax profits by 31% to £59m.

The company said more would-be homebuyers were logging on to its site through smartphones, with mobile users now making up 40% of total traffic, up from 30% a year ago. Rightmove sends out 700,000 property alerts a day to potential movers, a recent innovation that it credits with boosting page views and keeping competitors at bay. The number of estate agents using the website rose 3%, meaning that 16,700 now have a presence on the portal.

The take-off in the housing market has also boosted house builder Taylor Wimpey, which on Wednesday reported a 64% increase in pre-tax profits to £178m, as it published its results for the first half of 2014.

Home buying had not been restricted to London and the south-east, with sales and inquiries showing a "greater balance between regions", the home builder said. "Visitor levels have continued to be strong and confidence remains good amongst customers," it added.

Source: The Guardian