HOUSE prices increased by two per cent – more than the average for Wales – in Denbighshire in January, new figures show, writes data reporter Katie Williams.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 11.8 per cent annual growth.

The average Denbighshire house price in January was £196,593, Land Registry figures show – a two per cent increase on December.

Over the month, the picture was better than that across Wales, where prices increased 1.3 per cent, and Denbighshire outperformed the 0.4 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Denbighshire rose by £21,000 – putting the area 13th among Wales’s 22 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

READ MORE: Denbighshire house prices remained steady in December

The best annual growth in the region was in the Vale of Glamorgan, where property prices increased on average by 20.8 per cent, to £297,000.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Flintshire gained just 7.2 per cent in value, giving an average price of £199,000.

Owners of semi-detached houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Denbighshire in January – they increased 2.2 per cent, to £175,329 on average.

Over the last year, prices rose by 11.7 per cent.

Among other types of property:
Detached: Up 1.8% monthly; up 13% annually; £251,150 average.
Terraced: Up 2.1% monthly; up 10.3% annually; £138,109 average.
Flats: Up 2.1% monthly; up 6.4% annually; £96,284 average.

First-time buyers in Denbighshire spent an average of £174,000 on their property – £18,000 more than a year ago, and £46,000 more than in January 2017.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £218,000 on average in January – 25.4 per cent more than first-time buyers.

Buyers paid 4.7 per cent less than the average price in Wales (£206,000) in January for a property in Denbighshire.

Across Wales, property prices are lower than those across the UK, where the average cost £274,000.

The most expensive properties in Wales were in Monmouthshire – £328,000 on average, and 1.7 times as much as more than in Denbighshire.

Monmouthshire properties cost 2.7 times as much as homes in Blaenau Gwent (£121,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea.

Average property price in January
Denbighshire: £196,593
Wales: £206,251
UK: £273,762

Annual growth to January
Denbighshire: +11.8%
Wales: +13.9%
UK: +9.6%

Best and worst annual growth in Wales
The Vale of Glamorgan: +20.8%
Flintshire: +7.2%