Median house prices around the country are continuing to climb..

Real Estate Institute figures show the national median went up 11.8 per cent to 615-thousand-dollars in the year to January 2020, with seven regions hitting record averages.

Chief executive Bindi Norwell says it's driven by low interest rates and increasing consumer market confidence.

She says there's also more urgency in the market - with the average sale period dropping from 48 to 42 days.