House prices in Wirral increased more than the average for the North West in September, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 3% annual growth.

The average Wirral house price in September was £170,169, Land Registry figures show – a 3.9% increase on August.

Over the month, the picture was better than that across the North West, where prices increased 1.2%, and Wirral outperformed the 1.7% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Wirral rose by £4,900 – putting the area 27th among the North West’s 39 local authorities for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in Lancaster, where properties increased on average by 7.7%, to £170,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Hyndburn dropped 3.4% in value, giving an average price of £96,000.

Winners and Losers

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Wirral in September – they increased 4.5%, to £288,394 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 4.1%.

Among other types of property

  • Semi-detached: up 3.8% monthly; up 3.9% annually; £190,332 average
  • Terraced: up 3.8% monthly; up 2.3% annually; £128,633 average
  • Flats: up 3.8% monthly; down 0.5% annually; £104,759 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Wirral spent an average of £143,300 on their property –  £3,500 more than a year ago,  and £22,300 more than in Sep 2015.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £195,600 on average in September  – 36.5% more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Wirral compare?

Buyers paid 3.8% less than the average price in the North West (£177,000) in September for a property in Wirral.

Across the North West, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost £245,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £307,000 on average, and 1.8 times as much as in Wirral. Trafford properties cost 3.5 times as much as homes in Burnley (£88,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea, where the average September sale price of £1.3 million could buy 15 properties in Burnley (average £88,000).

Factfile

Average property price in September

  • Wirral: £170,169
  • The North West: £176,976
  • UK: £244,513

Annual growth to September

  • Wirral: +3.0%
  • The North West: +6.0%
  • UK: +4.7%

Best and worst annual growth in the North West

  • Lancaster: +7.7%
  • Hyndburn: -3.4%