no seasonal lift for house market a swathe of figures have provided further evidence of a slowdown in the uk property market.  the council of mortgage lenders (cml)  british bankers association (bba) and building societies association (bsa) all said mortgage lending was slowing. cml figures showed gross lending fell by 4% in november as the number of people buying new homes fell. elsewhere  the bba added underlying mortgage lending rose by £4m in november  compared to october s £4.29m. the cml said that loans for new property purchases fell 25% year-on-year to 85 000 - the lowest total seen since february 2003.  data from the cml showed lending fell to just over £25bn in november  from £25.5bn a year earlier. separate figures from the building societies association showed the value of mortgage approvals -- loans agreed but not yet made -- stood 32% lower than at the same time last year  at a seasonally-adjusted £2.98bn. the figures come hot on the heels of new data from property website rightmove which suggested owners must indulge in a  winter sale  and slash prices by up to 8%. miles shipside  commercial director at rightmove  said sellers would have to be  more realistic with their asking prices  to tempt buyers. the average asking price of a home fell by more than £600 from £190 329 in november to £189 733 in december  while the length of time it takes to sell a home rose to 81 days from 53 in the summer.  rightmove said estate agents were set to enter 2005 with a third more properties on their books than a year ago.  even once the quieter holiday period is over  sellers will find themselves competing with a lot of other properties on the market. in any business  excess supply and low demand means one thing - cut prices   mr shipside said.   the proof is that some properties that have been appropriately discounted are selling  even in the current market.  overall  asking prices have fallen 3.3% from their july peaks as the equivalent of £6 500 has been cut from an average property. a host of mortgage lenders and economists have predicted that property prices will either fall or stagnate in 2005.  what is apparent is a picture of a slowing market  but one that should remain stable as we return to more normal volumes of lending over 2005 as a whole   cml director general michael coogan said.  it s a fairly consistent picture  showing that mortgage demand has fallen back again  which is consistent with a continuing correction in the housing market   investec economist philip shaw said.  however  the figures do suggest only a modest weakening  and we stand by our view that the property market will remain in the doldrums for some time  though a collapse is still unlikely.