The annual pace of house price growth picked up in July as wages rose, according to the Nationwide.
The mortgage lender said the growth rate rose to 2.1%, the fastest pace since December 2022.
Some people were feeling more confident about getting a mortgage as their pay packets went up, Nationwide chief economist Robert Gardner said.
But relatively high mortgage rates and affordability issues acted as a brake for prospective buyers.
The average price of a house increased to £266,334 last month, up 2.1% from the previous year, however, prices are still below the all-time highs recorded in the summer of 2022.
Nationwide, one of the biggest mortgage lenders in the UK, bases its figures on house prices on its own lending.
The statistics do not include buyers who purchase homes with cash, or buy-to-let deals. Cash buyers account for about a third of housing sales.
