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While much of the UK housing market remains depressed, some towns close to London, saw record increases in house values. Towns such as Southend-on-Sea. Rochester, St Albarns, Dartford and Basingstoke all showed massive increase in house prices, fuelled by buyers moving out of London and looking for cheaper property within commuting distance. London's property prices have remained high and property is in short supply for those working in the capital but unable to afford houses in the million pound or more bracket. Towns within an hour of London are seeing an influx in buyers moving out of the capital. In Southend-on-Sea property prices increased by just under 15% with the average family home there now fetching just short of £198,500. This is one of the largest property price rises since the early 2000's when the property boom was at its height. Similarly in Basingstoke, from where you can reach London in just 45 minutes by train, prices increased by a similar amount and the average home costs around £180,000. The average for a family home across the UK is currently around £160,000 and most areas have seen a fall in value or only a very small increase. Homes in Scotland, northern Ireland and the north of England saw the largest declines and this is expected to continue through out 2013. Northern Ireland has been particularly badly hit and Craigayon in County Armagh saw the largest drop in property prices in 2012, dropping by a whopping 18.4%. However, for those not restricted to the need to commute into London each day for work, there are bargains to be had in the north of the UK in the property market. Small studio apartments in London fetch astronomical prices and these high prices now spill out into the suburbs and commuter towns. For those that are able to relocate away from the capital, the northern cities of Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield and the Scottish cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh have all become leading centres of commerce in their own right and offer much in the way of culture and have international airports and easy transport connections to the rest of the country. The average house price in London is £445,000, whereas a similar property in Manchester would cost you just £145,000. If you are looking for something a little bigger, then a four-bedroom detached house in Manchester will cost just short of £240,000, still half the price of a semi-detached smaller house in a suburb of the capital. And a 4 bed detached house in London - well if you even need to consider the price and whether you can afford it, forget it! You are talking 7 figures. Both Leeds and Sheffield in Yorkshire offer great property bargains. A semi detached house in Leeds will cost around £160,000. Detached larger houses are more expensive than Manchester at £300,000 but still 30% cheaper than a small semi in London. Sheffield is a little cheaper with a semi-detached house being around £150,000 and a detached larger property costing around £260,000. Both places have excellent local transport links and are home to the headquarters of some of the largest employers in the UK. If you fancy a move to Scotland then you can enjoy the high life of the big city without London prices. Edinburgh is a major tourist destination, a historic city and full of culture and lovely architecture. A large Georgian or Victorian house in London would be well over the million pound mark but in Edinburgh you are looking at around £350,000 and house prices are half of what they are in London. Glasgow has some of the cheapest property in a UK city with an average property price of just £129,000. It has great international transport links and his also a city of culture. If you are not stuck to having to live in the London commuter belt then a move north could offer you much more property for your money. To view property for sale in these northern cities visit whathouse.co.uk
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