September house prices continue year-on-year growth
Scottish house prices continued to show year-on-year growth in September, with the average up by 5.8% to £152,961 compared with September 2017, according to the latest monthly UK House Price Index.
Prices were marginally down (0.1%) on the previous month. The UK average was up by 3.5% over the year to £232,554, unchanged on the previous month.
The volume of residential sales in Scotland in July 2018 was 8,770, down 1.9% on July 2017. This compares with annual decreases in volumes of 17.2% in England and 10.6% in Wales in July 2018, and 12.4% in Northern Ireland in quarter 3 of 2018.
Average prices rose in 27 of the 32 Scottish local authority areas in September. The biggest increases were in West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow City, up 11.9% and 10.4% respectively, while the largest decreases were seen in Aberdeen City and Scottish Borders, down 4.4% and 2.7% respectively.
Increases in sales volumes were recorded in 17 local authority areas in July 2018, with South Ayrshire and North Ayrshire recording rises of 39.0% and 26.6% respectively, but volumes in Stirling fell by 22.9% and in City of Edinburgh by 21.2%, bringing down the national average.
Registers of Scotland Business Development and Information Director Kenny Crawford commented: "Average prices have been increasing each month since March 2016, when compared with the same month of the previous year."
He added: "The cumulative volume of sales for Scotland for the financial year to date – from April 2018 to July 2018 – was 34,763. This is a decrease of 4.8% on the equivalent year to date position in the previous financial year 2017-18."