Growing numbers of homebuyers are turning to the internet in their search for property. More than four in 10 of those with internet access use it to obtain information about the housing market, according to a survey out today.

Almost half of people planning to move in the next three years have access to the internet, and of these, 42% have gone online to search for a property or find out other information, said the report commissioned by the Halifax and the House Builders Federation.

Home-buying and selling services are one of the fastest growing sectors of internet commerce. It is estimated there are now around 300 such sites.

Some like Rightmove.co.uk are run by traditional estate agents, and others, like Easier.co.uk and HomeFreeHome.co.uk, offer people the opportunity to advertise their property online for free, avoiding estate agents' fees.

Fifty estate agents, including Knight Frank and FPDSavills, have come together to create a new website aimed at "the upper and middle market", those buying and selling properties worth more than £100,000, which is due to go live in January. Ian Springett, former managing director of Lombard Bank, has been appointed chief executive of the venture, which goes by the name of Fastcrop plc.