BUZZ-UK mid-cap property stocks enjoy day in the sun

** Estate agent Foxtons, property website Zoopla & housebuilder Crest Nicholson top gainers among UK mid- & small-cap indexes on relatively high volumes

** Zoopla extends Monday's 9 pct bounce on underwhelming launch of rival portal 'On The Market', stock now up 24 pct since post-IPO low

** Top UK midcap riser, up 8.3 pct; stock had fallen some 30 pct from late Dec peak to Jan 22 low

** A first look by Jefferies at OnTheMarket.com leads broker to conclude launch is "more of a damp squib than a nuclear warhead"

** Crest Nicholson up 3.5 pct at 2.5-wk highs; says new yr starts well after 2014 profit rise

** Foxtons reverses early session weakness to rise 6.5 pct, among top FTSE Small Cap performers, as an improvement in lettings outweighs subdued London sales

** Traders citing short-covering on Foxtons following results. Demand to borrow shares had spiked over past month, according to Markit (NasdaqGS: MRKT - news) data

(RM (LSE: RM.L - news) : tricia.wright1.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)