HOUSE prices in Renfrewshire have soared by almost £15,000 in the space of a year, latest figures reveal.

The average price paid for a property in the local area in December was £137,094 – an increase of 11.9% from the same month in 2019, when it stood at £122,509.

According to the UK House Price Index, which is calculated by the Office for National Statistics, the City of Edinburgh was the most expensive place in Scotland to buy a home, with house-hunters there having to splash out an average of £288,899.

However, only four council areas in Scotland – the Shetland Islands, East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire – experienced faster growth in average prices than that seen in Renfrewshire, at 19.9%, 17.9%, 13.9% and 12.5% respectively.

In Aberdeen, prices fell by 2.1% to an average of £142,631.

Across Scotland as a whole, the average price was £162,983 – up by 8.4%.
The cheapest council area in which to buy a property was Inverclyde, where you could expect to pay just £107,752.

Latest figures also show a significant rise in the number of house sales in Renfrewshire, despite the coronavirus pandemic, with the total increasing from 370 in October 2019 to 493 for the same month last year.

A spokesperson for the Office for National Statistics said: “In Scotland, detached houses showed the biggest increase out of all property types, rising by 9.9% in the year to December 2020 to £285,000.

“The smallest average house price change of all property types was in flats and maisonettes, up by 7.3% in the year to December 2020 to £116,000.

“House prices increased over the year in 29 out of 32 local authority areas. The largest growth was in East Ayrshire, where prices increased by 17.9% to £111,000. The biggest fall for year ending December 2020 was recorded in City of Aberdeen, where average prices fell by 2.1% to £143,000.”

Meanwhile, a separate report by Rightmove has identified Paisley as Britain’s top property hotspot, with asking prices surging by 15% over the past year.

Local estate agents suggest that access to nature and green spaces may have contributed to rocketing prices in the town.

Both of these attributes are said to have become more important to some home movers during coronavirus lockdowns.

Lancaster and Wigan, both in northern England, rounded off the top three places in the list, which excludes London.

Curtis Chisholm, director at Cochran Dickie estate agency, said: “The demand for Paisley can be attributed to the fact that you can get more for your money here than in Glasgow’s West End or South Side, especially with the ease of commuting, coupled with quality homes in very desirable addresses.

“Paisley is a very historical town with fabulous culture.”

The average asking price of a home in Paisley is currently £126,903, which is £16,183 more expensive than a year ago.

However, average asking prices in the town are £191,677 cheaper than the average across Britain, at £318,580.

They are also £34,619 cheaper than the average across Scotland of £161,522.

Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s director of property data, said: “Demand for property in Paisley is very high at the moment, with searches for homes to buy in the town having risen by 44% compared to this time last year.

“Naturally, demand leads to rising prices and, with swathes of rolling countryside on the doorstep, it makes sense that Paisley is such a popular destination for home movers looking for more space.”