NATIONWIDE'S latest survey on house prices reveals the price of a typical UK property remained unchanged in April.

However, the Swindon-based building society is predicting that the number of first-time buyers looks set to fall to a record low this year.

Commenting on the figures, Alex Bannister, Nationwide's Group Economist, said: "House prices remained unchanged during the month of April as the trend towards slower house price inflation continued.

"The annual rate of change slowed to 22.2 per cent from 26.2 per cent in March, and the market is clearly less frenetic than April last year."

The society's forecast on first-time buyers however is more due to demographics and lifestyles than uncertainty about the economy.

Explained Mr Bannister: "Since 1992 the population of 20-34 year olds has fallen by around 1.6 million.

"Based on past trends this alone would lead to 60,000 fewer first-time buyers each year.

"In addition, lifestyle changes, with more people going into higher education and settling down later in life, is giving this trend greater impact."

The current age of an average first-time buyer is 30-31. In 1995, it was between 27 and 28.