HOUSE prices in the Braintree district increased more than average for the East of England in August, new figures show.

​The ​boost ​contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area ​achieve 2.6 per cent annual growth​.

The average Braintree house price in August was £287,798, Land Registry figures show​ – a 1.4 per cent increase on July.

Over the month, the picture was ​better than that across the East of England, where prices ​increased 0.8 per cent​, and Braintree outperformed the 0.7 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Braintree ​​rose by £7,200 – putting the ​area 17th among the East of England’s 47 local authorities for annual growth.

​The best annual growth in the region was in South Norfolk, where properties increased on average by 5.9 per cent, to £269,000.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Babergh dropped 4.1 per cent in value, giving an average price of £279,000.

Winners and Losers

Owners of terraced houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Braintree in August – they increased 1.6 per cent, to £248,186 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by three per cent.

Among other types of property:

  • Detached: up 1.5 per cent monthly and up 2.6 per cent annually to a £479,723 average.
  • Semi-detached: up 1.5 per cent monthly and 3.6 per cent annually to a £298,710 average.
  • Flats: up 0.5 per cent monthly and down 0.5 per cent annually to a £159,598 average.

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Braintree spent an average of £​239,600 on their property – ​£5,600 more than a year ago, ​and ​£45,100 more than in August 2015.

How do property prices in Braintree compare?

Buyers paid 2.9 per cent less than the average price in the East of England (£296,000) in August for a property in Braintree.

Across the East of England, property prices are high compared to those across the UK, where the average cost £239,000.

The most expensive properties in the East of England were in St Albans – £522,000 on average, and 1.8 times as much as in Braintree. St Albans properties cost three times as much as homes in Great Yarmouth (£174,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea, where the average August sale price of £1.4 million could buy 15 properties in Burnley (average £91,000).

Factfile

Average property price in August

  • Braintree: £287,798
  • East of England: £296,411
  • UK: £239,196

Annual growth to August

  • Braintree: +2.6%
  • The East of England: +2.0%
  • UK: +2.5%

Best and worst annual growth in the East of England

  • South Norfolk: +5.9%
  • Babergh: -4.1%