HOUSE prices in Bracknell increased by more than average in September for the South East, new figures show.

But the boost does not reverse the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area suffer a 4.4 per cent annual decline.

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The average Bracknell house price in September was £331,503, Land Registry figures show, which is a 1.5 per cent increase on August.

Over the month, the picture was better than that across the South East, where prices increased 1 per cent , and Bracknell Forest outperformed the 0.2 per cent drop for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Bracknell Forest remained level – putting the area 66th among the South East’s 67 local authorities for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in Ashford, where properties increased on average by 6 per cent, to £311,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in West Oxfordshire dropped 5.4 per cent in value, giving an average price of £319,000.

Winners and Losers

Owners of flats saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Bracknell Forest in September – they increased 1.7 per cent, to £205,632 on average– but over the last year, prices dropped by 5.1 per cent.

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Among other types of property:

Detached: up 1.4 per cent monthly; down 4.2 per cent annually; £607,448 average

Semi-detached: up 1.3 per cent monthly; down 4.0 per cent annually; £365,567 average

Terraced: up 1.4 per cent monthly; down 4.4 per cent annually; £282,002 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Bracknell Forest spent an average of £ 270,000 on their property – £13,000 less than a year ago, and £38,000 more than in September 2014.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £ 386,000 on average in September – 42.7 per cent more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Bracknell Forest compare?

Buyers paid 0.7 per cent more than the average price in the South East (£329,000) in September for a property in Bracknell Forest. Across the South East, property prices are high compared to those across the UK, where the average cost £234,000.

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The most expensive properties in the South East were in South Bucks – £609,000 on average, and 1.8 times as much as in Bracknell Forest. South Bucks properties cost 2.9 times as much as homes in Gosport (£209,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea, where the average September sale price of £1.2 million could buy 15 properties in Burnley (average £85,000).

Factfile

Average property price in September

Bracknell Forest: £331,503

The South East: £329,197

UK: £234,370

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Annual growth to September

Bracknell Forest: -4.4 per cent

The South East: +0.7 per cent

UK: +1.3 per cent

Best and worst annual growth in the South East

Ashford: +6.0 per cent

West Oxfordshire: -5.4 per cent