House prices in Scotland continued their relentless climb during the past 12 months with many areas posting "quite unusual" increases, though a few notably treaded water.
The average price across the country rose by £11,458, according to an analysis of the latest statistics by property firm DJ Alexander, to reach £187,434 as of the end of January. That was an annual increase of 6.5%, compared to a rise of 4.9% in England and Wales during the same period.
There were substantial variations, however, with East Renfrewshire recording the highest increase of £24,461 to reach £287,649. This was followed by a £24,071 rise in Edinburgh to £295,133, with the capital remaining the country's most expensive place to live.
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Elsewhere, prices in Stirling were up by £19,837 to £232,039, East Lothian increased by £17,172 to £291,329, and there was a £16,311 increase in East Dunbartonshire to £260,563.
At the other end of the spectrum, two areas recorded a fall in average prices. Argyll and Bute was down by £865 to £171,554, and Dundee dropped by £181 to £134,664.
The three lowest increases were in Aberdeen which rose by £1,798 to £140,831, Clackmannanshire which increased by £2,018 to £158,658, and Aberdeenshire which was up £2,113 at £202,612.
In total, there were fifteen areas which recorded an average price increase of more than £10,000. The cheapest place to buy a home in Scotland is Inverclyde at £112,849.
“The Scottish housing market continues to be buoyant with an average increase of £11,458 - equivalent to a 6.5% rise over the year - at a time when interest rates have remained stubbornly high alongside concerns over the performance of the economy," chief executive David Alexander said.
“That 15 areas recorded an increase of over £10,000 is a testament to the level of demand from Scotland’s homebuyers. But the gap between the most expensive place to buy and the cheapest is concerning.
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"An average difference in price of nearly £200,000 between Edinburgh and Inverclyde is really quite remarkable. Furthermore, there is a clear price gap developing around the capital and its surrounding areas with Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian the first, second and fourth-most expensive areas to buy in Scotland.”
The increase in house prices in Glasgow was above the Scottish average, up by £12,945 at £184,071. Prices in Renfrewshire were £14,070 higher £156,966 and South Lanarkshire was up £9,993 at £172,513.
“As ever some parts of Scotland are booming while others appear to be treading water," Mr Alexander said. "The central belt remains the major draw for many homebuyers while rural areas such as Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Aberdeenshire and Highland have all seen average prices either fall or increase at a rate below inflation.
“The Scottish housing market remains in rude good health for the most part with price growth greater than our neighbours south of the border.
"Whether this continues remains to be seen because this level of annual growth is quite unusual historically. Lower mortgage rates later this year and the potential easing of lending criteria will help but the exacerbating influence will be the impact that US tariffs have on exports and consequently on Scottish jobs.”
