Northern Ireland counties top house price survey

Halifax has published its annual County House Price Survey, which highlights the huge level of increase in Northern Ireland during the past 10 years.

The province has seen strong economic growth, increased immigration and high demand for properties from second homebuyers and buy-to-let investors from the Republic of Ireland.

As a result, five counties in Northern Ireland appear among the UK’s top ten for most significant growth in the past decade. County Armagh takes first place with average prices up 331% to £220,229.

The survey shows that of the 104 counties covered, prices in 44 have at least trebled over the past ten years.

Cornwall has been the best performing county in England (+ 266%), followed by the Isle of Wight (+ 245%).

House prices in Surrey continue to be the most expensive, at an average of £364,115; Blaenau Gwent is the UK’s least expensive county, with an average price of just £113,964; North Lanarkshire was the only county to record an average price rise of less than 150%.

Of the ten counties recording the lowest average house price gain over the past decade, eight are in Scotland, one is in Wales and one is in the West Midlands.

Five of the ten least expensive counties in 2007 are in Scotland, four are in Wales and one is in Yorkshire and the Humber.

By comparison, in 1997, seven of the least expensive areas were in Wales, two were in Scotland and one was in Northern Ireland.

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