Buyers 'paying 97% of asking price'

%VIRTUAL-SkimlinksPromo%Home buyers are now paying nearly 97% of the asking price of a property, marking the highest average percentage seen in nearly 12 years, property analyst Hometrack has reported.

But there are early signs that the London market is starting to soften, amid evidence that buyers are becoming less willing to meet sellers' prices in the face of the recent strong hikes in house values seen in the capital, the report for April said.