House prices in Britain increased by 1.3 percent in December last year, featuring the whole year with six monthly rises and six decreases, according to the latest Halifax House Price Index report issued on Monday.

Prices in the three months from October to December were 0.6 percent higher than in the preceding three months, which was the first increase in this measure of the underlying trend for seven months, but dropped 0.3 percent compared with the same period of 2011.

The average price of house stood at 163,845 pounds in the last month of 2012, compared with 161,795 pounds in the previous month and 159,629 pounds in the same period 2011.

"There was evidence of a firming in the housing market in the final few months of 2012", said Martin Ellis, housing economist with the Halifax.

"Overall, last year saw an even mix of monthly rises and falls as prices lacked any real direction as both demand and supply pressures remained largely unchanged during 2012. On an annual basis, prices in the final quarter of 2012 were marginally lower than in the last three months of 2011."

Halifax, now part of state-controlled Lloyds Banking Group, expected continuing broad stability in house prices nationally in 2013 with prices likely to end the year at levels close to where they begin.

It believed that activity on the property market has picked up a little.

According to the latest figures from HM Revenue and Customs, home sales have improved modestly in recent months, from 75,000 in July to 80,000 in November. (1 pound = 1.62 U.S. dollars )