The housing finance market has been uneven in the first three months of the year but the level of new commitments is well up on last year's figures.According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics housing finance data, the value of housing finance fell 1.1 per cent in March (in seasonally adjusted terms), compared with the previous month.The market was up 2.9 per cent in February and down 0.4 per cent in January.Lenders provided a total of A$27.3 billion of housing finance in March, compared with $27.6 billion in February.The monthly total was 18.6 per cent higher than the $23.1 billion provided in March last year.The value of loans to owner-occupiers fell 1.2 per cent in March and the value of loans to investors fell 0.8 per cent.The number of owner-occupier housing finance commitments in March fell 0.9 per cent.Finance for the construction of dwellings remained buoyant, with a 2.1 per cent increase in commitment in March.The average loan size increased from $315,400 in February to $319,300 in March. The average loan size has grown from $301,100 in March last year - an increase of six per cent.First-home buyer participation was up a touch from 12.5 per cent to 12.6 per cent.