For those considering a move, it is still possible to exchange a moderate semi-detached house in an expensive area of Dublin for a better place in the North.

In recent months, houses advertised by residential estate agents in the North included an eight-year-old detached house with six fitted bedrooms, two en suite and four reception rooms plus a study. Set in three quarters of an acre of gardens in the heart of what is known as the North's "gold coast" - the strip of coastal land from east Belfast to Bangor - the asking price was around £550,000 sterling.

This is not untypical. Million pound-plus houses are still a rarity in Northern Ireland, although rapid gains in south Belfast and the most sought-after suburban locations are leading to jumps in the upper end of the housing market.

At the lower end of the market, however, things are quite different.

There are reverses as well as jumps, and anyone considering relocating to Northern Ireland has to be aware of the pitfalls.

A scan through the house ads in Northern newspapers gives a surface impression of a place where decent beginner homes are still available at the kind of prices last encountered in Dublin and the main provincial centres in the Republic in the late 1980s .

Two-bed terraced houses within easy distance of Belfast city centre are still available from around £40,000 sterling. Outside the central area of Belfast prices can be even lower.

However, a visit to Northern Ireland during the annual "marching season" will reveal why house prices in some areas are still low. Painted kerbstones, "peace lines" and other tell-tale signs of urban disorder are still commonplace in many parts of Northern Ireland.

In areas where there is division or sectarian tension, house prices suffer.

Despite the peace process, this underlying tension in Northern society has continued to affect urban areas and the housing market.

In some areas, intimidation and sectarian divisions have created a situation where private owners have seen the price of their property drop as they seek to relocate. This has happened in parts of Belfast and east Antrim in the past few years.

Anyone choosing to move to the North and seeking a house in the starter bracket needs to be advised on which areas are less likely to be affected by the sectarian tensions that still regulate parts of Northern Ireland.

The reality is that, while it is easy to find a perfectly good three bed, mid-terrace house with a fitted kitchen and electric central heating in a housing estate with a guideline price of £39,950 sterling, it may become a nightmare to live there and, of course, it might prove impossible to re-sell.

By contrast, a fairly ordinary two-bed mid-terrace house in a desirable area like Stranmillis, which is marvellously situated for shopping, parks and nightlife, will cost at least as much as a similar property in somewhere like Stoneybatter in Dublin. A typical guideline for a house like this in Stranmillis is around £140,000.

Agents in Belfast have few problems moving properties like this in the confined areas, mainly in south Belfast which tend to be religiously mixed and free of sectarian tensions.

Many young couples in the North have chosen to move from the cities to new developments in the countryside.

In most cases couples chose to avoid the trouble of city living for better, more spacious new homes with gardens and enjoy easy commuting because of the North's exceptional road system.

The latest average house values from the Northern Ireland quarterly price index give the average house price for the start of 2001 as £82,833 sterling.

This shows a sharp fall on the previous quarter where the average prices was put at £88,778 sterling.

But it does show the underlying trend of the past five years is still upward. The average price for the year 2000 was £82,816 sterling, showing a slight increase this year.