HOUSE prices increased by 2.4% - more than the average for the South West – in Stroud in April, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 7% over the last year.

The average Stroud house price in April was £353,113, Land Registry figures show – a 2.4% increase on March.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the South West, where prices increased 0.2%, and Stroud was above the 0.5% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Stroud rose by £23,000 – putting the area seventh among the South West’s 26 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in Swindon, where property prices increased on average by 12.4%, to £280,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Bath and North East Somerset gained 3% in value, giving an average price of £435,000.

First-time buyers in Stroud spent an average of £273,000 on their property – £17,000 more than a year ago, and £65,000 more than in April 2018.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £399,000 on average in April – 46.1% more than first-time buyers.

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in Stroud in April – they increased 2.5%, to £557,542 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 7.8%.

How do property prices in Stroud compare?

Buyers paid 7.9% more than the average price in the South West (£327,000) in

April for a property in Stroud. Across the South West, property prices are

higher than those across the UK, where the average cost is £286,000.

The most expensive properties in the South West were in Cotswold – £489,000 on

average, and 1.4 times the price as  in Stroud. Cotswold properties cost 2.2

times the price as homes in Plymouth (£221,000 average), at the other end of the

scale. 

Average property price in April

Stroud: £353,113

South West: £327,144

UK: £286,489