HOUSE prices increased by 1.6% in Dorset in November, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 11.6% annual growth.

The average Dorset house price in November was £338,068, Land Registry figures show – a 1.6% increase on October.

Over the month, the picture was less good than that across the South West, where prices increased 2.5%, but Dorset outperformed the 1.2% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Dorset rose by £35,000 – putting the area 20th among the South West’s 29 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in South Hams, where property prices increased on average by 24.3%, to £431,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Bath and North East Somerset gained just 5.2% in value, giving an average price of £378,000.

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Dorset in November – they increased 1.9%, to £505,525 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 13.2%.

Among other types of property:

Semi-detached: up 1.6% monthly; up 12.8% annually; £329,743 average

Terraced: up 1.4% monthly; up 10.6% annually; £261,757 average

Flats: up 1.3% monthly; up 7.4% annually; £182,456 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Dorset spent an average of £263,000 on their property – £26,000 more than a year ago, and £49,000 more than in November 2016.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £380,000 on average in November – 44.4% more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Dorset compare?

Buyers paid 9.6% more than the average price in the South West (£308,000) in November for a property in Dorset. Across the South West, property prices are higher than those across the UK, where the average cost £271,000.

The most expensive properties in the South West were in Cotswold – £487,000 on average, and 1.4 times as much as more than in Dorset. Cotswold properties cost 2.4 times as much as homes in Plymouth (£207,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea.

Factfile

Average property price in November

Dorset: £338,068

The South West: £308,497

UK: £270,708

Annual growth to November

Dorset: +11.6%

The South West: +12.9%

UK: +10%

Best and worst annual growth in the South West

South Hams: +24.3%

Bath and North East Somerset: +5.2%