all about property

Where in the UK can you get the most for your money?

1) The cheapest area of the UK is the City of Kingston Upon Hull in East Yorkshire. Prices are an average of £79,500. It is mainly notable for its fishing industry and its many sports teams.

2) Next most affordable is Blaenau Gwent in South Wales, with prices averaging £86,500. Its main towns are Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale and Tredegar. It has many examples of its industrial heritage and some beautiful countryside.

3) Merthyr Tydfil’s average house price is just under £92, 000. Situated in Mid Glamorgan, Wales this former mining area has high levels of unemployment; however its claim to fame is that during an armed uprising in Merthyr, workers rallied under a red flag which was later adopted as the worldwide symbol of workers revolution.

4) Stoke on Trent’s properties cost an average of just over £92,000. Still the centre of the UK pottery industry, this town is also famous as the birth place of Robbie Williams.

5) At just under £97,500 comes Hartlepool. Located near Durham, this shipbuilding town is best know for it’s inhabitants having allegedly hung a monkey, believing it to be a Frenchman.

Where will you need to take out the biggest mortgage?

1) The most expensive place to buy property, with an average price of just under £352,000, is Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire. With famous residents such as The Queen and Elton John, good schools, great shopping, Legoland and easy access to London and Heathrow this is prime commuter belt.

2) The next priciest is Surrey, with an average price of £325,800. Usually described as ‘leafy’ it is also commuter belt and boasts good schools, a University and some lovely countryside.

3) The capital comes in third at just over £300,000. Greater London encompasses everything from Kensington and Chelsea (Average £827,000) to Barking & Dagenham (A mere £172,000).

4) At £297,000, Buckinghamshire with its lovely villages and countryside is also popular with commuters.

5) Wokingham in Berkshire has an average house price of around £285,000. Again its proximity to London, Reading and Bracknell make it popular for commuters.

House prices and rankings are based on the figures Q3 2005 published by The Land Registry.

Copyright: Jacqui O’Brien 2006