Revealed: Port Talbot had the highest growth in house prices in 2019, as towns offering homes for bargain rates top list of property hotspots
- South Wales town was identified as Zoopla’s top property hotspot for this year
- Cwbran, Wales, and Leigh, Manchester also saw high house price growth
- But Aberdeen and Witney in Oxfordshire saw the least increase in prices
Towns offering bargain-basement properties have seen the highest growth in house prices over the past year, figures reveal.
Port Talbot in South Wales was identified by property website Zoopla as 2019’s top spot.
House prices there rose by 7.5 per cent to reach £122,074. The town is best known for its huge steelworks and as the birthplace of actor Michael Sheen.
Staying in Wales, Cwmbran, in the south-east of the country, was in second place, with property values increasing by 6.9 per cent to an average of £168,212.
The highest house price growth in the past 12 months has been outlined by Zoopla
Port Talbot in South Wales (pictured) was identified by property website Zoopla as 2019’s top spot
Leigh in the North West of England was identified as Britain’s third property hotspot of 2019, with values increasing by 6.3 per cent to reach £127,148 on average.
In fact, the whole North West of England saw relatively strong house price growth with values increasing by 3.2 per cent over the past year to £190,645 on average.
Across Britain, homes added £12 per day on average on to their value during 2019, according to the research.
In some parts of the country, property values have risen by an average of nearly £40 every day over the past year – but in some others around £20 per day has been knocked off their value.
| Ranking | Town | Current average value | Average £ increase per home | Average £ increase by day | 12 month % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port Talbot | £122,074 | £8,476 | £23.22 | 7.50% |
| 2 | Cwmbran | £168,212 | £10,801 | £29.59 | 6.90% |
| 3 | Leigh | £127,148 | £7,488 | £20.52 | 6.30% |
| 4 | Cannock | £183,841 | £9,429 | £25.83 | 5.40% |
| 5 | Edinburgh | £290,968 | £14,376 | £39.39 | 5.20% |
| 6 | Bootle | £99,330 | £4,752 | £13.02 | 5.00% |
| 7 | Merthyr Tydfil | £116,108 | £5,521 | £15.13 | 5.00% |
| 8 | Salford | £182,065 | £8,381 | £22.96 | 4.80% |
| 9 | Walsall | £179,238 | £8,267 | £22.65 | 4.80% |
| 10 | Neath | £134,486 | £6,147 | £16.84 | 4.80% |
| Source: Zoopla |
| Ranking | Town | Current average value | Average £ decrease per home | Average £ decrease by day | 12 month % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aberdeen | £189,965 | -£7,626 | -£20.89 | -3.90% |
| 2 | Witney | £390,376 | -£7,073 | -£19.38 | -1.80% |
| 3 | Woking | £538,496 | -£7,878 | -£21.58 | -1.40% |
| 4 | Reading | £432,297 | -£5,680 | -£15.56 | -1.30% |
| 5 | Barnstaple | £263,049 | -£2,973 | -£8.15 | -1.10% |
| 6 | Kilmarnock | £119,693 | -£1,206 | -£3.30 | -1.00% |
| 7 | Maidenhead | £582,902 | -£4,989 | -£13.67 | -0.80% |
| 8 | Chippenham | £349,216 | -£2,811 | -£7.70 | -0.80% |
| 9 | Chatham | £256,848 | -£2,046 | -£5.61 | -0.80% |
| 10 | Darlington | £148,916 | -£1,111 | -£3.04 | -0.70% |
| Source: Zoopla | |||||
The total value of Britain’s housing market rose by £124billion across 2019 – a rise of 1.6 per cent – to reach about £7.8trillion, Zoopla said.
Across Britain, the average property value was estimated at £296,785. In Wales, values rose by an average of 3.9 per cent and in Scotland the figure was 2.2 per cent.
England lagged behind at 1.5 per cent. The English region with the slowest house price growth was the South East (0.6 per cent).
| Ranking | Country | Current average value | Average £ increase per home | Average £ increase by day | 12 month % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales | £189,244 | £7,154 | £19.60 | 3.90% |
| 2 | Scotland | £171,195 | £3,605 | £9.88 | 2.20% |
| 3 | England | £316,645 | £4,676 | £12.81 | 1.50% |
| Source: Zoopla | |||||
| Ranking | Region | Current average value | Average £ increase per home | Average £ increase by day | 12 month % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales | £189,244 | £7,154 | £19.60 | 3.90% |
| 2 | North West England | £190,645 | £5,866 | £16.07 | 3.20% |
| 3 | Yorkshire and The Humber | £168,486 | £4,637 | £12.70 | 2.83% |
| 4 | West Midlands | £223,986 | £6,148 | £16.85 | 2.82% |
| 5 | East Midlands | £217,420 | £5,326 | £14.59 | 2.50% |
| 6 | Scotland | £171,195 | £3,605 | £9.88 | 2.20% |
| 7 | North East England | £174,325 | £3,505 | £9.60 | 2.10% |
| 8 | South West England | £308,189 | £4,941 | £13.54 | 1.60% |
| 9 | London | £632,480 | £6,939 | £19.01 | 1.10% |
| 10 | East of England | £360,961 | £3,076 | £8.43 | 0.90% |
| 11 | South East England | £414,825 | £2,393 | £6.56 | 0.60% |
| Source: Zoopla | |||||
Laura Howard of Zoopla said: ‘Affordability levels remain attractive in many areas outside southern England. Rising employment and low mortgage rates have led to improving values.’
‘However, while Scotland has seen some of the biggest price growth, Aberdeen’s housing market continues to suffer from the fallout from the drop in oil prices and as a result saw Britain’s biggest decline.
‘While all regions saw growth in 2019, over the past two years the housing market has been characterised by flat or falling prices in London and southern regions, where tax changes and stretched affordability have impacted demand for expensive properties.
‘Our latest analysis highlights there is no single UK housing market and trends vary across and within local housing markets driven by local economic factors.’