Revealed: Most affordable towns to live in across Shropshire
The most affordable towns for families looking to buy a home in Shropshire have been revealed.
A new study by Zoopla has identified the most and least affordable towns across Britain - including several in the West Midlands.
The analysis compared average house prices with typical earnings for a two-earner household in full-time work, focusing on postal towns with more than 5,000 homes.
According to the findings, Telford ranks as the fourth most affordable town in the West Midlands, and the most in Shropshire, with a median home value of £205,700 and an estimated annual household income of £63,800.
At the other end of the scale, Craven Arms has been named among the least affordable towns in the region, placing ninth overall with a median property value of £383,200, but an estimated annual household income of £60,100.
Zoopla also provided the Shropshire Star with a breakdown of the most affordable towns in Shropshire. The full results are below:
1. Telford
Ranking fourth in the whole of the West Midlands, Telford ranked as the most affordable in Shropshire in the study with a median home value of £205,700.
2. Oswestry
Oswestry ranked as the second most affordable town to buy a home in across Shropshire with a median home value of £243,900.
3. Market Drayton
Market Drayton placed third, with a median property value of £277,200.
4. Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ranked fourth on the affordability list, with homes priced at a median of £283,400.
5. Whitchurch
In fifth was Whitchurch, with a median home value of £286,300.
6. Shifnal
Shifnal was named the sixth most-affordable, with median house prices at £309,200.
7. Ludlow
Ludlow ranked seventh, with a median home value of £312,300.
8. Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth placed eighth, with properties at a median price of £323,300.
9. Craven Arms
Craven Arms ranked as the ninth most affordable town in Shropshire, with a median home value of £383,200 - making it the least affordable in the county (included in the study).
West Midlands rankings
Newcastle-under-Lyme was named the most affordable town in the West Midlands, with a median home value of £182,200, followed by Stoke-on-Trent (£174,900) and Bilston (£201,300) before Telford in fourth place.
The least affordable town in the West Midlands was Solihull (£411,800), followed by Kenilworth, Stratford-upon-Avon, Malvern and Ledbury.
Elsewhere in the UK
Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire was identified as the least affordable town in Britain, with an average house price of more than £1 million - more than 15 times average household earnings.
Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: "Our latest affordable towns research clearly highlights the wide gulf in the affordability of housing for home buyers across the UK and within regions.
"For those looking to buy in the south, there are areas which offer reasonably priced homes compared to local incomes, but there are large areas where homes are only affordable to those on higher incomes or with larger deposits.
"The affordability of home ownership and the cost of moving are big considerations for those planning their next move. The days of most people moving within five miles of where they live are over. We can see that a growing number of buyers are having to look further afield to find better value for money and they need the tools to make informed buying decisions."
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