Wealden house prices dropped more than South East average in September

House prices dropped by 2.4% – more than the average for the South East – in Wealden in September, new figures show.

The drop contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area suffer a 3.1% annual decline.

The average Wealden house price in September was £409,524, Land Registry figures show – a 2.4% decrease on August.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the South East, where prices decreased 0.6%, and Wealden was lower than the 0.5% drop for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Wealden fell by £13,000 – putting the area 50th among the South East’s 64 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in Test Valley, where property prices increased on average by 8.6%, to £440,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Hastings lost 9.7% of their value, giving an average price of £266,000.

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Wealden spent an average of £327,200 on their property – £9,200 less than a year ago, but £47,900 more than in September 2018.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £454,400 on average in September – 38.9% more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of flats saw the biggest fall in property prices in Wealden in September – they dropped 3% in price, to £196,124 on average. Over the last year, prices dropped by 4.5%.

Among other types of property:

• Detached: down 2.4% monthly; down 2.6% annually; £619,159 average
• Semi-detached: down 2.2% monthly; down 2.7% annually; £374,827 average
• Terraced: down 2.5% monthly; down 4.1% annually; £312,855 average

How do property prices in Wealden compare?

Buyers paid 4.4% more than the average price in the South East (£392,000) in September for a property in Wealden. Across the South East, property prices are high compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £291,000.

The most expensive properties in the South East were in Elmbridge – £705,000 on average, and 1.7 times the price as in Wealden. Elmbridge properties cost 2.9 times the price as homes in Southampton (£244,000 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 September

• Wealden: £409,524
• The South East:£392,174
• UK: £291,385

Annual change to September

• Wealden: -3.1%
• The South East: -1.4%
• UK: -0.1%

Highest and lowest annual growth in the South East

• Test Valley: +8.6%
• Hastings: -9.7%