Agents Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) have produced a fact file and guide for investors interested in the Northern Ireland property market. Speaking on the publication of the Northern Ireland Investment Fact File, Keith Shiells, chief executive of LSH in Belfast, pointed out that the property investment market in the North had again out-performed the rest of the UK, producing a total return of 23.3 per cent, compared with the UK average of 16.8 per cent.

"Not many investors realise that Northern Ireland is the fastest growing regional economy in the UK. When they do, questions about investment opportunities will follow. Nor do they always know that the financial performance of the biggest trading companies is looking good. On the most recent evidence, their pre-tax profits have gone up again by a further 11 per cent. Living standards, measured by consumer spending, have now reached nearly 90 per cent of the UK average." The critical fact for the investor, he said, was that the North was outperforming the UK property market.

The guide gives an overview of the North's economy and synopses of the retail, office, industrial and investment markets.