Estate agents have forecast a bright outlook for Keighley's housing market this year.

Nationally the market hit a low point in the months before Christmas and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors anticipates a challenging year.

But Dacre Son & Hartley is confidently predicting that the market will gain momentum and improve, with the Keighley area proving successful because of the choice in housing. Others also believe that the market will start moving in the coming weeks, with lower price homes selling the best.

Valuer at the Keighley branch of Dacre's, in North Street, David Cocks, said: "I think we are going to see a positive year. There is a lot of choice in the Keighley market.

"Interest rates are probably going to come down again, so now is a good time to get a foot on the ladder.

"There was definitely a slow down before Christmas but that is just the market, it is always like that."

Martin Carlton, director at Jump estate agents in Low Street, Keighley, agreed, saying that he did not think the market would start moving again for some weeks but it would eventually.

He said: "We are thinking, because it has slumped, there are a lot of properties coming on to the market it is going to stop properties falling. Once people see that the properties have levelled out, then confidence should return to the market."

But Rebecca White, manager at Reeds Rains estate agent, in North Street, Keighley, is less confident and said people in the town were clearly still concerned about the market.

She said: "At the moment it is quite early to tell.

"Already we have had one or two sales fall through in the early part of the year, which suggests people are concerned about the market place.

"The lower price range are still moving but people are being quite stand-offish about houses in the higher price range.

"We are hoping things will even out and take a steady level over the year but we are not expecting a large increase in property prices this year."