House prices increased by 3.5% – more than the average for the North West – in Wirral in November, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 11.4% annual growth.

The average Wirral house price in November was £194,491, Land Registry figures show – a 3.5% increase on October.

Over the month, the picture was better than that across the North West, where prices increased 2.3%, and Wirral outperformed the 1.2% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Wirral rose by £20,000 – putting the area 25th among the North West’s 39 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in Wyre, where property prices increased on average by 21.1%, to £192,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Allerdale gained just 1.5% in value, giving an average price of £165,000.

Winners and Losers

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Wirral in November – they increased 3.7%, to £336,964 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 13.9%.

Among other types of property:

·  Semi-detached: up 3.6% monthly; up 11.7% annually; £217,727 average

·  Terraced: up 3.2% monthly; up 10.6% annually; £146,421 average

·  Flats: up 3.3% monthly; up 8.7% annually; £116,988 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Wirral spent an average of £163,000 on their property – £16,000 more than a year ago, and £38,000 more than in November 2016.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £224,000 on average in November – 37.5% more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Wirral compare?

Buyers paid 1.7% less than the average price in the North West (£198,000) in November for a property in Wirral. Across the North West, property prices are roughly the same as those across the UK, where the average cost £271,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £346,000 on average, and 1.8 times as much as more than in Wirral. Trafford properties cost 3.2 times as much as homes in Burnley (£108,000 average), at the other end of the scale.