MORE than one in ten people are planning to move house during the next two years, despite uncertainty over the property market.

The figure, which has stayed at 11 per cent for the past nine months, is down from a high of 15 per cent in the summer of 2001, according to research from Alliance and Leicester.

The group said potential homebuyers remained calm despite some reports that the property market had become overheated and prices could plummet.

People in their twenties were most likely to be planning a move, with 20 per cent hoping to buy a new home, while those in their sixties were least likely to be looking for a new home.

The most common reason for moving was a need for more bedrooms, with 18 per cent citing this as their reason for moving, while 15 per cent of those questioned said they wanted to own a property because it was cheaper than renting. The number of people wanting to move to make money on their property has risen from ten per cent three months ago to 12 per cent, with 16 per cent of men hoping to cash in on recent house price gains. Meanwhile, house price rises in towns and cities is being mirrored in more rural locations.

Estate agents Strutt and Parker report that non-farm buyers in parts of the country are continually out-bidding farmers in an attempt to buy land. In many cases they pay a neighbouring farmer to manage the land, while they enjoy the privacy and amenities the farm has to offer.

Farms in the South-East and South-West have long proved attractive to wealthy residential buyers, this has now spread to the Yorkshire, the North-East and Scotland.