HOUSE prices may have rocketed over 2021 – but here are six areas which escaped the frenzy where you can bag a home for under £200,000.
The stamp duty holiday this year caused budding buyers to race against time to get a home without paying the hefty tax, and the Covid crisis meant more Brits were looking for their own space.
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This helped demand to rocket – but with a big shortage of homes on the market this year, prices boomed as the property market boiled over.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the average UK house price has rocketed by 10.2% over the past year to a whopping £285,000 in England as a result.
It’s meant many Brits have been priced out of the market, but there’s good news – some parts of the country didn’t see prices jump, making it a little bit easier for you to get on the ladder.
There are six towns which saw the lowest growth in average house prices over the year with properties under the £200,000 mark, according to latest research from Halifax.
House prices in Airdrie, Scotland actually went down 3.8% from £156,897 to £150,874, and Coatbridge, Scotland also saw prices dip 2.3% from £149,315 to £145,880.
Kirkcaldy, also in Scotland, only saw house prices nudge up by an average of £1,774 (1.1%) from £155,888 to £157,663.
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Inverness, Scotland, also saw the average cost of a home rise slightly, up £3,137 (1.6%) from £195,534 to £198,672.
Stockton On Tees in the North of England saw prices nudge up £4,739 (2.5%), with the average home costing £190,736, while Glenrothes, Scotland, saw a £4,695 (3.2%) hike from £147,250.
Although some of these areas saw slight price increases, they are minimal compared to some areas of the UK where prices soared by tens of thousands of pounds.
The average price of a home in Taunton, in the South West, surged by £56,546 (21.8%) this year compared to 2020, from £259,213 to £315,759.
While in Newark, East Midlands, prices jumped by £46,732 (20%) from £234,202 to £280,934.
While Rochdale, in the North West, saw £32,123 added onto the average cost of a home this year.
However, experts have predicted 2022 could see a potential slow down in price growth.
Robert Gardner, chief economist at Nationwide, told The Sun that a spike in Covid cases could cause growth to lull.
While Rachel Lummis, mortgage adviser at Xpress Mortgages, predicts property prices will go up an average of 4.8% – that’s compared to the 10.2% hike we’ve seen this year.
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