HOUSE prices increased by 2.6% – more than the average for the North West – in Wirral in March, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 4.3% over the last year.

The average Wirral house price in March was £214,235. Land Registry figures show a 2.6% increase on February.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the North West, where prices increased 1.1%, and Wirral was above the 0.7% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Wirral rose by £8,900 – putting the area sixth among the North West’s 35 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in West Lancashire, where property prices increased on average by 12.3%, to £246,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Burnley lost 8.2% of their value, giving an average price of £103,000.

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Wirral spent an average of £180,400 on their property – £7,400 more than a year ago, and £46,300 more than in March 2019.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £246,200 on average in March – 36.5% more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of flats saw the biggest rise in property prices in Wirral in March – they increased 3.2%, to £126,138 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 3.4%.

Among other types of property:

Detached: up 2.9% monthly; up 4.9% annually; £364,951 average

Semi-detached: up 2.6% monthly; up 4.7% annually; £241,305 average

Terraced: up 2.1% monthly; up 3.9% annually; £163,824 average

How do property prices in Wirral compare?

Buyers paid 1% less than the average price in the North West (£217,000) in March for a property in Wirral. Across the North West, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £283,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £357,000 on average, and 1.7 times the price as in Wirral. Trafford properties cost 3.5 times the price as homes in Burnley (£103,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea.

Factfile

Average property price in March

Wirral: £214,235

The North West: £216,501

UK: £282,776

Annual growth to March

Wirral: +4.3%

The North West: +3.8%

UK: +1.8%

Highest and lowest annual growth in the North West

West Lancashire: +12.3%

Burnley: -8.2%