House prices drop in five cities and towns across the region

Five Yorkshire cities and towns recorded declines in house prices in 2017, with the largest fall in Wakefield,where the average house sale dropped 2.9% from £173,997 to £168,920.

According to data on house prices in 2017  released by Halifax, Rotherham’s average house price dropped from £143,510 to £149,364 (-2.2%), Barnsley from £137,352 to £135,14 (-1.6%), Bradford from £132,018 to £131,505 (-0.4%) and Leeds from £192,480 to £191,751 (-0.4%).

However, Huddersfield bucked the trend and saw a 9.3% increase in the average house price, rising from £171007 in 2016 to £186,988 in 2017.

Managing Director at Halifax, Russell Galley, said: “Yorkshire and Humber has seen mixed fortunes, with Huddersfield proving to be one of the house price winners this year. This is perhaps due to its proximity to a number of employment centres as well as offering value for money in terms of property.

“In contrast, house prices in Barnsley and Bradford have been constrained by lower employment levels and relatively weaker economic conditions. Within the region Leeds’ house price performance was something of a surprise this year, with a small decrease in property values despite its status as an employment and economic hot spot in the north.” 

Table 1: 20 towns with biggest increase in average house prices, 2016-2017

^{Source: Halifax (*12months to November)}

Table 2: 20 towns with biggest fall/smallest rise in average house prices, 2016-2017