House prices dropped in Bracknell Forest in August, new figures show.

But the drop does not reverse the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 2.9 per cent annual growth.

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The average Bracknell Forest house price in August was £336,067, Land Registry figures show – a 1.3 per cent decrease on July.

Over the month, the picture was worse than that across the South East, where prices increased 1.6 oer cent, and Bracknell Forest underperformed compared to the 0.7 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Bracknell Forest rose by £9,500 – putting the area 19th among the South East’s 67 local authorities for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in West Oxfordshire, where properties increased on average by 7.9 per cent, to £343,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Surrey Heath dropped 3.8 per cent in value, giving an average price of £382,000

Winners and Losers

Owners of flats fared worst in Bracknell Forest in August – they dropped 2.2 per cent in price, to £202,873 on average . But over the last year, prices rose by 0.2per cent.

Among other types of property:

Detached: down 0.8 per cent monthly; up 3.8 per cent annually; £620,063 averageSemi-detached: down 1.1 per cent monthly; up 3.8 per cent annually; £373,710 averageTerraced: down 1.0 per cent monthly; up 3.6 per cent annually; £288,303 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Bracknell Forest spent an average of £ 273,300 on their property – £6,800 more than a year ago, and £22,500 more than in August 2015.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £ 392,400 on average in August – 43.6% more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Bracknell Forest compare?

Buyers paid 1.2 per cent more than the average price in the South East (£332,000) in August for a property in Bracknell Forest. Across the South East, property prices are high compared to those across the UK, where the average cost £239,000.

The most expensive properties in the South East were in Elmbridge – £607,000 on average, and 1.8 times as much as in Bracknell Forest. Elmbridge properties cost 2.9 times as much as homes in Southampton (£210,000 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

Bracknell Forest: £336,067The South East: £332,147UK: £239,196Annual growth to August

Bracknell Forest: +2.9%The South East: +2.9%UK: +2.5%Best and worst annual growth in the South East

West Oxfordshire: +7.9%Surrey Heath: -3.8%