Tide of buyers fails to halt house prices dip House prices continued to fall last month despite more interest from would-be buyers, according to an influential poll of surveyors. The latest Rics poll of housing surveyors, out Tuesday, said enquiries from potential housebuyers climbed in November across most parts of the UK, while the number of properties coming on to the market remained fairly flat. However, prices continued to fall in all regions except London, with Northern Ireland and Wales experiencing the sharpest drops. "There is certainly some optimism creeping back into the housing market," said Peter Bolton King, a director at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. That said, there is still a long way to go and the long standing barriers to home ownership are still very much a problem for the likes of first time buyers. Nine per cent more UK surveyors reported falling prices, as opposed to stable or rising prices, during November. In Northern Ireland and Wales, the balance reporting falling prices was far higher, at 49 and 36 per cent respectively. In London, 40 per cent more surveyors reported rising prices than stable or falling prices. A balance of 11 per cent more surveyors reported a rise in the number of enquiries from would-be buyers. A balance of 4 per cent said the number of homes on the market had increased. Enquiries from would-be buyers have risen steadily since the summer and the number of properties coming on to the market has barely budged over the past two years, according to the poll. House prices have dropped since the beginning of the year, though surveyors reported more modest falls in recent months. Mr Bolton King expected the Bank of England's Funding for Lending scheme, the latest flagship initiative to boost lending and cut borrowing costs, to buoy confidence and prices in the coming months. But, while the FLS was "beginning to bear fruit for potential buyers," the macroeconomic picture would limit any recovery.