The West Midland property market is beginning to heat up again after figures published today showed a 6.1 per cent leap in prices in the last three months.

The average price of a home in the region is now £164,576, according to figures released by the Land Registry, up from £155,115 in April to June 2005.

Nationally, the average house price in England and Wales rose by 7.71 per cent to £199,184 for the second quarter of 2006.

The increase was driven by demand, with sales ahead by 23.76 per cent from 216,890 in 2005 to 268,430 for the same period in 2006.

In the Midlands, the rise was less acute, with the number of sales rising by 19 per cent from 19,750 to 23,511.

The report compares average prices and volume of sales with those for the same quarter in 2005, and its figures are taken into account by the Bank of England along with other housing market and economic indicators.

Within the West Midlands, Shropshire saw average house price rise from £181,942 to 197,073, while Staffordshire saw a smaller leap from £155,518 to £166,793.

The old West Midlands county - which includes the seven metropolitan boroughs - posted a house price increase from £140,543 to £149,685, while Warwickshire saw a jump from £191,827 to £196,967.

Worcestershire had a smaller spurt in average prices from £188,063 to £190,916, while the Wrekin saw prices rise to £145,941 to £134,590.

In the broader West Midlands, all types of property increased in value.

Detached houses increased from £261,138 to £270,804; semis from £142,551 to £151,385.

The average price of a terrace in the region pushed from £115,904 to £123,309, while flats and maisonettes increased from £120,417 to £121,403.

Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the Warwick-based National Association of Estate Agents, said the latest rise was linked to the fact that the much feared housing crash had failed to materialise.

Confidence had returned to the market, with many more people deciding to buy houses and forcing up prices.

He said: "If you go back to last year, the market in many parts of the West Midlands was not very clever.

"This was because people were worried about interest rates and saw headlines that said house prices were too high and there was going to be a crash.

"That slowed the markets, but the crash did not occur. The market took a bit of a breather and confidence returned."

This meant a busier autumn and winter than normally expected as buyers flooded back to the market, a trend which continued.

"It is all about confidence, and a lack of certain types of property," said Mr Bolton King. "But I do things will steady down later this year."