SWINDON'S house price boom is over. After more than a year of rapid increase, prices are stabilising.

The slowdown in what had been a breakneck trend upward for prices was first reported by the Evening Advertiser in early March.

But prices are not falling - unlike the rest of the country, which a leading online analyst says experienced its first overall price fall in 15 months this month, albeit of only 0.1 percent.

Figures compiled by Home-track indicate that this month's average price fall across England and Wales was the first since 2001.

Nevertheless, estate agents across Swindon insist that prices in the town have generally levelled out.

At Charles Harding in Old Town, managing director Jon Harding, said: "We noticed a change in the market as early as January. Things have levelled off since then.

"The market is still buoyant, and plenty of properties are still being viewed, but it is a more competitive market for sellers."

Mr Harding added that he thought the stabilisation came as a result of rumours at the beginning of the year that the boom was going to give way to a slump.

He said that certain prices in Swindon were increasing at the equivalent of as much as 25 percent per year at the height of the boom.

The latest industry figures suggest that buyers in Swindon can expect to pay about £99,272 for a terraced house, £118,737 for a semi-detached, £177,337 for a detached and £77,460 for a flat or maisonette.

Corresponding figures for Wiltshire as a whole are, respectively, £111,600, £136,100, £206,200 and £80,100.

And the corresponding national average figures are £107,000, £124,400, £210,900 and £117,900 although these figures include places such as London and the Home Counties, where property prices are generally higher.

Another Swindon estate agent, Allen and Harris branch partner Matthew Wilson, said: "The market could not have continued the way it was. You do not get 20 percent increases every year."

Mr Wilson said that many property sellers were no more inclined to consider realistic offers from potential buyers especially at the more expensive end of the market.

Phil Holland, manager of Dreweatt Neate in Wood Street, also said the market was stabilising rather than dipping.

He explained: "There is evidence that property prices have levelled and are certainly not increasing at this stage.

"However, it is also still fair to say that there is a lot of confidence in the property market generally."