(Reuters) – British housebuilder Crest Nicholson on Tuesday reiterated its forecast of an encouraging calendar year due to an increase in customer enquiries despite a bigger-than-expected fall in its 2023 profit. The FTSE midcap builder said its adjusted pre-tax profit for the year ended Dec. 31 came in at 41.4 million pounds ($52.8 million), compared with 137.8 million pounds a year earlier. Analysts on average were expecting a profit of 44 million pounds, according to LSEG data. ($1 = 0.7848 pounds) (Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)