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Scottish house price rise outpaces rest of UK

Average house prices in Scotland have increased by close to £25,000 (13.2 per cent) over the last 12 months – the highest rate of all four UK nations.

The latest monthly house price index for Scotland from Walker Fraser Steele, Chartered Surveyors also shows:

  • 30 of the 32 local authority areas continue to see prices rise over the year
  • Monthly growth rates are softening
  • The top five local authority areas by value all set new record average price levels

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Alan Penman, business development manager at Walker Fraser Steele, said: “At the end of August we reported that the average Scottish house price stood at £211,029 – at that point a new record high. This September we have seen the upward momentum continue. Scotland’s average house price at the end of September stands at £212,832, which sets yet another record, having risen by some £2,200 – or one per cent – in the month.

“Five local authority areas in September were responsible for 58 per cent of the positive movement in Scotland’s average house price. The five areas concerned, in order of influence, were South Lanarkshire, the City of Edinburgh, Glasgow City, East Dunbartonshire and Highland.

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“More generally prices rose in 19 of the 32 Local Authority areas in Scotland. The largest increase in average prices, of 6.3 per cent, was in Inverclyde. In second place on the mainland was East Dunbartonshire, with an increase in prices of 5.2 per cent. There were plenty of high-value sales in East Dunbartonshire, with a number of detached sales taking place in Bearsden – located approximately six miles to the North West of Glasgow – the most expensive being on the Roman Road, priced at £1.3 million.

“This underlines how property at the top-end continues to underpin this growth as people opt for more space and continue to embrace working from home. September often provides momentum to the market too as it is not untypical for families to reassess their needs as the new school year gets underway.”

Source: Scottish Legal

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Scottish house prices continue to climb

Average Scottish house prices continued to rise in August, reaching £211,029, according to Walker Fraser Steele.

This followed a 1.8% month-on-month rise and a 12.1% increase in the year to August 2021.

All 32 local authority areas saw prices rise over the year, and transaction levels in August were at a seven-year high.

On a regional basis, Na h-Eileanan Siar saw the only yearly decline, falling by 8.1%, while Shetland Islands saw greatest monthly decline, also down by 6.7%.

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Meanwhile, Scottish Borders saw the largest annual rise, up by 28.4% and Stirling noted the greatest month-on-month increase, up by 5.9%.

Alan Penman, business development manager at Walker Fraser Steele, said: “At the end of July, the average Scottish house price stood at £207,344 but by the end of August this figure was £211,029 – reaching a new record high, with a rise of £3,685, or just under 2% in the month.

“The race for space continues to support the prices of larger properties.

“The scarcity of this type of stock coupled with the continued high demand means prices remain strong.

“Property at the top-end has performed well throughout 2021 and there is no sign of any imminent let-up.

“We noted last month that the exceptional performance of larger properties was likely to continue and this month we have more evidence to support that view.

Read about the UK Housing Market via our Specialist Residential & Buy to Let Division

“People’s preference for more space and working from home has meant buyers have often sought properties that can accommodate new lifestyles.

“But we should remember that borrowers’ ability to afford these properties has in no small way been a result of the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax holiday earlier in the year, and the continued record low interest rates.

“In terms of the geographical performance of the Scottish regions, the area with the highest annual increase in average house prices in August was the Scottish Borders, where average prices have risen by 28.4%, which again reflects the fact that the mix of homes that have been sold in this area has trended towards the more expensive end of the market.”

By Jake Carter

Source: Mortgage Introducer

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Scottish house prices increasing in line with rest of UK

SCOTTISH house prices are generally increasing, fitting in with a trend across the rest of the UK which has seen the average price of homes in major cities increase by nearly £90,000 over the past decade.

A Zoopla analysis found the average house price across the UK’s 20 biggest cities has increased by £89,987 across the period – or around 54%.

This is a bigger increase than the average house price uplift across the whole of the UK over the past 10 years, at £62,218.

Average Glasgow house prices have surged by £16,087 over the past decade while the figure in Edinburgh is higher at £61,693.

Average London house prices have risen by £204,400 over the past decade.

The typical house price across the cities covered by the index is now £257,200, while in London it is £479,000.

But city house price growth has varied widely over the past decade. House prices in Aberdeen are lower compared with 10 years ago, a decrease of £1164 (0.7%), while Belfast saw a fall of £4896 (3.4%).

Zoopla said Aberdeen was affected by the oil price crash post-2015, and Belfast, having registered six years of house price falls between 2007 and 2013, has been slower than other major cities to see a sustained recovery in house price growth.

Looking ahead, Zoopla expects city house prices to increase by 3% over 2020 as a level of pent-up demand returns to the market following the General Election result.

Richard Donnell, research and insight director at Zoopla, said: “The election result provides an element of certainty for households looking ahead to 2020, but the result changes very little in terms of housing market fundamentals.

“While we expect some pent-up demand to return to the market in (the first quarter of) 2020, the affordability of housing across the country will dictate the level to which prices will increase in 2020.

“Lower mortgage rates have already been reflected in higher house prices, which means house prices are set to rise at a lower rate in future – more in line with average earnings. We expect UK city house prices to increase by 3% over 2020.”

By Emer O’Toole

Source: The National

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Scottish house prices projected to rise by nearly 20%

The average house price is predicted to be £35,000 higher in five years as “Brexit and election-related angst” subsides, according to a report.

Savills expects average house prices across the UK to lift from £231,000 in 2019 to £266,000 in 2024 – with the north outperforming those in the south.

There are also signs the prime central London property market could be set
for a bounce, but elsewhere in London growth in house prices is expected to lag behind the rest of Britain.

North-west England is tipped to see the strongest percentage house price growth, with values predicted by Savills to surge by 24 per cent by 2024.

In Scotland and north-east England, house prices are expected to jump
by nearly one-fifth (19.9%) over the same period, while in Yorkshire and
the Humber growth of 21.6% is forecast.

Faisal Choudhry, Savills head of residential research in Scotland, said: “In Scotland, the key fundamentals of quality of life, good schools and economic growth in the hubs of Edinburgh and Glasgow will drive local markets, but pricing remains key and sellers will have to be pragmatic.”

Wales will also perform strongly, with house prices expected to increase by around 18%, Savills predicts.

Daniel Rees, head of residential at Savills in Cardiff, said the property market in Wales had “undoubtedly” been helped by the Severn Crossing tolls being abolished in 2018.

He said: “Our forecasts affirm the long-term popularity of Wales as an attractive and affordable place to live and work.”

By contrast, property values in London, where housing affordability is often worse than in other parts of the country, are expected to increase by just 4% by 2024.

House prices in London generally recovered more strongly after the financial crisis than elsewhere, but price growth there has been more subdued in recent years as the affordability of a home has become more stretched.

However, expectations for house price growth in prime central London are more positive.

Savills forecasts that prime central London values will rise 3% next year
– the first annual price growth since 2014 – and increase by 20.5% over the next five years.

Recent falls in the value of sterling mean London’s most expensive properties will start to look relatively good value to those investing from overseas – and a build-up of recent interest from buyers indicates the market is set for a bounce, Savills said.

The firm said that while “Brexit and election-related angst” will generally continue to act as a drag on the market over the short term, house prices are expected to rise broadly in line with incomes thereafter.

It estimates that, while house prices will only increase by around 1% across 2020, 2021 will see a stronger 4.5% bounce.

Savills’ forecasts assume that the General Election on December 12 does not result in a significant shift in the policy environment, that the UK ultimately achieves an orderly exit from the EU over the course of 2020 and avoids recession.They also assume that the bank base rate increases gradually to 2.0% by the end of 2024, constraining mortgage affordability and house price growth.

Source: Herald Scotland