St Helens house prices increased in May

House prices increased by 1.1% in St Helens in May, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 6.2% over the last year.

The average St Helens house price in May was £181,968, Land Registry figures show – a 1.1% increase on April.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the North West, where prices decreased 0.2%, and St Helens was above the UK as a whole, where prices did not change.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in St Helens rose by £11,000 – putting the area seventh 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%, to £239,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Hyndburn lost 1.3% of their value, giving an average price of £118,000.

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in St Helens spent an average of £162,900 on their property – £9,300 more than a year ago, and £49,300 more than in May 2018.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £204,600 on average in May – 25.6% more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of terraced houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in St Helens in May – they increased 1.2%, to £139,483 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 5.2%.

Among other types of property:

• Detached: up 1% monthly; up 8.1% annually; £309,036 average
• Semi-detached: up 1% monthly; up 6.4% annually; £189,402 average
• Flats: up 1.1% monthly; up 5.1% annually; £99,571 average

How do property prices in St Helens compare?

Buyers paid 14.1% less than the average price in the North West (£212,000) in May for a property in St Helens. Across the North West, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £286,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £360,000 on average, and twice the price as in St Helens. Trafford properties cost 3.2 times the price as homes in Burnley (£111,000 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 May

• St Helens: £181,968
• The North West:£211,790
• UK: £285,861

Annual growth to May

• St Helens: +6.2%
• The North West: +2.7%
• UK: +1.9%

Highest and lowest annual growth in the North West

• West Lancashire: +12%
• Hyndburn: -1.3%