Wigan house prices increased more than North West average in March

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 2.9 per cent over the last year.

The average Wigan house price in March was £189,152. Land Registry figures show a 1.8 per cent increase on February.

The picture was different to that across the North West, where prices increased by 1.1 per cent, and Wigan was above the 0.7 per cent rise for the UK.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Wigan rose by £5,400 – putting the area 10th 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 12.3 per cent to £246,000.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Burnley lost 8.2 per cent of their value, giving an average price of £103,000.

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Wigan spent an average of £168,100 – £4,800 more than a year ago and £51,200 more than in March 2019.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £210,200 on average in March – 25.1 per cent more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in Wigan in March – up 2.6 per cent to £314,427 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 5.3 per cent.

Among other types of property:

Semi-detached: up 1.9 per cent monthly; up 3.4 per cent annually; £192,416 average. Terraced: up 1.2 per cent monthly; up 1.6 per cent annually; £144,809 average. Flats: up 1.6 per cent monthly; up 0.5 per cent annually; £100,104 average

How do property prices in Wigan compare?

Buyers paid 12.6 per cent less than the average price in the North West (£217,000) in March for a property in Wigan. Across the North West, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £283,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £357,000 on average, and 1.9 times the price as in Wigan.