Surrey tops expensive counties list

Posted: 04 Feb 2008 11:01:43 GMT

Surrey has been named as the UK's most expensive county, according to the latest Halifax County House Price Survey.

Surrey has been named as the UK's most expensive county, according to the latest Halifax County House Price Survey.

The average property price in the county was £364,115 in 2007, meaning that it was the most expensive region last year and in 1997.

Hertfordshire (£319,091) followed, while Oxfordshire (£315,894) was named as the third most expensive.

County Armagh in Northern Ireland saw the most impressive growth of all UK counties, with prices rising by 331 per cent between 1997 and 2007.

"The counties recording the best house price performance over the past ten years have mainly been outside southern England. Four of the five counties with the highest house price growth are in Northern Ireland reflecting the strength of the housing market there over the past few years," commented Halifax chief economist Martin Ellis.

"All counties in the UK have seen at least a doubling in prices since 1997. Prices in more than four in ten counties trebled or more.

"There are now only 20 counties in the UK with an average house price below £150,000; ten years ago, every county was below the threshold," he added.

Recent research from Halifax revealed that men are more likely than women to handle the finances when a couple moves house.

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