West Dunbartonshire is now the cheapest place in Scotland to buy a property – despite prices rising by 10 percent over the past year.
Data published by chartered surveyors Walker Fraser Steele shows that the average price of a property in the area increased from £136,102 to £150,297 between January 2021 and January 2022.
Despite that rise being higher than many of the other authorities in the lower half of the table, West Dunbartonshire became the cheapest local authority to buy in – falling behind East Ayrshire.
The local figure was also well below the Scottish average of £215,388, with neighbouring East Dunbartonshire remaining one of the most expensive places in the country – with an average price of £294,446, after an annual rise of more than 11 percent.
In Argyll and Bute, which includes Cardross and Helensburgh, the average price increased by 7.5 percent to £203,766 – making it the 14th most expensive local authority to buy in.
Scott Jack, regional development director at Walker Fraser Steele, said: “What we are seeing in this return to growth is that people are still living, moving, buying and selling in the aftermath of the pandemic and the lifestyle changes it brought about.
“Working from home has encouraged many homebuyers to move to larger premises which can accommodate a different way of living and working. Many have been in search of more outdoor space too – the so-called race for space. The issue here is that while there is a high demand for such homes, the supply is limited, so there continues to be strong competition for the properties that do come onto the market, with robust price increases as a result.”
