By Charlotte
Beugge
A rather
unlikely winner in the 2011 housing market has emerged. According to property
website Zoopla, the north-west town of Wigan saw the biggest increase in house
prices last year, with average homes in the town increasing in value by 6%.
In
contrast, the north-eastern city of Newcastle suffered the biggest fall in
house prices. Zoopla says that nationally, average house prices in Britain were
mostly flat in 2011. The average house price finished 2011 at £221,331, down a
modest £854 (0.23%) from the same time one year ago.
But
there's been a widening between prices in the north and south despite Wigan's
crown.
While the
average home in London is now worth £416,890, up 2% on a year ago, prices in
the north-east were 6% down at £156,659. Scotland outperformed England and Wales,
with a typical 7% rise compared with their unchanged prices.
Even
though Wigan, home of George Orwell's famous pier, has won the house price war
for 2011, it is still one of the cheapest places to buy in the UK.
While its
average house price rose by £7,000 in 2011, the typical home in Wigan costs
£132,517, making it cheaper than its peers in Greater Manchester and
Lancashire.
The
typical home price in the north-west is £155,386 - but this was down 3.21% over
the year, so Wigan really did buck the trend in the area.
Earlier
this week, Halifax named another town, 200 miles or more south of Wigan as
topping the house price charts for 2011. It said the more predictable Woking, a
commuter town in Surrey, had the best house price growth in 2011.
