British property market saw slightly more sales in February, with average sales per estate agency branch rising from 15.7 to 16 last month, showed the latest survey by Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).

This is partly because there were more first-time buyers ahead of the reintroduction of the one-percent stamp duty on March 24 for homes under 250,000 pounds (390,000 U.S. dollars).

The survey also showed British property prices fell at a slower pace in February, as Rics seasonally adjusted house price balance rose to -13 last month, its highest in over 18 months, which stood at -16 in January.

Meanwhile, Rics said its members were no longer expecting prices to fall further according to the February survey, which was the first time since May 2010.

The value of British houses fell sharply from the start of financial crisis in 2008 and has been stagnant since then, with transaction volumes about half that before the crisis.

British government's NewBuy scheme launched on Monday is expected to push up property sales a bit further in the coming months.

The scheme will enable people in England to buy flats or houses of a maximum value of 500,000 pounds with a mortgage of up to 95-percent of the value of new homes.