Shropshire bucking house cost trend
House prices in Shropshire are growing at less than half the rate of the rest of the UK, according to new figures.
While other areas are seeing a boom in prices, those in Shropshire are growing more slowly.
The news leaves people who want to sell up and move away from Shropshire at risk of being priced out of the market.
But experts say it also means Shropshire is protected from a future crash in the housing market because its price rises are more sustainable.
Nationally, figures show that in the final quarter of the year, properties have been selling for 8.3 per cent more than at the same point in 2013. In London the figure is almost 18 per cent higher than last year.
But in Shropshire prices have increased by just four per cent, leaving properties selling for an average of £182,377. It means the county has remained consistent over the second half of the year as prices rose by four per cent in the third quarter.
Houses in Telford & Wrekin are most in demand, showing a six per cent rise at £171,129. Properties in the rest of the county grew by three per cent to £188,197.
Mike Nettleton, of county estate agents Nock Deighton, said the latest figures from Nationwide Building Society showed the county is enjoying steady growth for the long-term.
He said: "What we are seeing is activity that is slow and sustainable. Nobody wants to rush into boom and bust. I think what we have seen is very positive and a good barometer for the economy at large."
Growth in Wales was the weakest of any area, with an increase of just 1.4 per cent in the fourth quarter leaving its average selling price at £141,631. However, Mid and West Wales has seen prices rise by eight per cent to £158,284 in the quarter compared to seven per cent last quarter.
