Housebuilders are sounding a note of optimism for the battered property market in 2006, saying demand picked up in the final quarter of 2005 after more than a year in the doldrums. The housing market has slowed sharply since mid-2004 as many buyers were scared off by high house prices and a series of interest rate increases. The market has shown some signs of recovery in the final quarter of 2005, however, after the Bank of England cut interest rates in August, making mortgage loans cheaper and boosting consumer confidence in the market.