Mapping UK house prices

The ONS has created an interactive map, using house price data, to show the most and least expensive parts of the country to buy a property at a local level. While the average price of a home in the UK is now £272,000, up 9.8% over the course of last year, regionally this figure rises to £502,191 in London and falls to £142,195 in Northern Ireland. The five most pricey areas in the UK are all found in London – Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, the City of, Camden and Hammersmith and Fulham. ONS analysis shows the average price for properties bought by first-time buyers last year rose by 10%, down on the 11% rise the previous year. Separately, property sales fell in January, dropping by 6% compared with a year ago. Transactions totalled 97,320 in January, according to the latest seasonally-adjusted figures from HMRC. That is the lowest level since October 2013, and the fourth consecutive monthly drop in sales. Peter Rolling’s of Marsh & Parsons, said that buyer demand was "still rosy" so he expected activity to pick up again. "January has seen a boost in agreed sales, which has firmly set the ball rolling for 2015, and this will only gather faster momentum during the spring - typically one of the most popular times to move house - when these completions come to fruition," he said.