Interest in the housing market jumped sharply during March as potential buyers looked for pre-Easter bargains, new research has indicated.

The number of new buyers registering with estate agents rose to an eight-month high of 290 during March, up from 268 in February, according to the National Association of Estate Agents.

The group attributed the jump to buyers hoping to pick up a good deal on a property before the traditionally busy Easter period started.

But agents warned that many homeowners were still being overly optimistic and pricing their properties too high.

With buyers still struggling to raise the mortgages they need, this approach has contributed to a rise in the number of unsold properties estate agents have on their books during the past year.

The typical estate agent was marketing 68 properties last month, up from an average of 60 in March 2010, although the figure was down slightly from 70 in February.

The number of agreed sales held steady at an average of eight per branch, well up on the recent low of four reached in December.

Mike Nettleton, director of Shropshire estate agents Nock Deighton, said: “These latest NAEA figures reflect what we’ve seen in the local property market — over the first quarter of this year, we have handled approximately £27.4 million worth of residential property deals in the county.

“Shropshire has tended to out-perform some of the more gloomy national trends and predictions, with the area still an attractive proposition to prospective purchasers and investors alike.

“While it is still a very challenging economic climate, and it is vital that sellers do remain realistic with their asking prices, these figures show there is every reason for genuine optimism over the coming months,” he continued.

The NAEA also reported a slight fall in the proportion of homes that were sold to first-time buyers, with this dropping to 23 per cent of sales, down from 25 per cent in February, although the figure was in line with the year-on-year average.

The latest data comes just days after property website Rightmove.co.uk said a glut of unsold properties was building up on the market as new sellers priced their homes too high.