UK estate agents remain upbeat about the outlook for the housing market in 2008.

That is according to new research from Hot Property, which revealed that 73 per cent of estate agents were more confident about the housing market in February than they were in January.

The figure is slightly up on the 72 per cent who were more confident in January than December and shows that agents are becoming more positive.

"This month''s index shows agents'' confidence in the market is stable, having risen from 72 percent in January to 73 percent in February," commented Hot Property managing director Shawn Luetchens.

"It goes to show the massive leap in confidence last month wasn''t just a reaction to the January market, which is traditionally a busy period," he added.

The National Association of Estate Agents recently revealed that housing stock, buyer interest and completed sales all increased in January as confidence returned to the market.