Sandwell house prices increased more than West Midlands average in April

House prices increased by 3.7% – more than the average for West Midlands – in Sandwell in April, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 16.1% over the last year.

An imbalance between supply and demand for properties has remained the primary reason behind climbing house prices across the UK throughout the pandemic.

The need for larger deposits and constraints on accessing mortgages have pushed homeownership further out of reach for many first-time buyers – despite Government figures showing 50% of renters would be able to afford the monthly payments.

In a recent major speech in Blackpool, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a “comprehensive review” of the mortgage market would take place in a bid to help more people onto the property ladder.

The average Sandwell house price in April was £195,453, Land Registry figures show – a 3.7% increase on March.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across West Midlands, where prices increased 0.5%, and Sandwell was above the 1.1% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Sandwell rose by £27,000 – putting the area fourth among West Midlands’s 30 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in Herefordshire, where property prices increased on average by 18.3%, to £304,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Staffordshire Moorlands gained just 5.5% in value, giving an average price of £217,000.

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Sandwell spent an average of £178,000 on their property – £25,000 more than a year ago, and £56,000 more than in April 2017.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £215,000 on average in April – 20.6% more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of terraced houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in Sandwell in April – they increased 3.8%, to £175,153 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 15.4%.

Among other types of property:

Detached: up 3.5% monthly; up 17.5% annually; £322,610 averageSemi-detached: up 3.7% monthly; up 17.4% annually; £209,786 averageFlats: up 3% monthly; up 11.9% annually; £107,881 average

How do property prices in Sandwell compare?

Buyers paid 19.3% less than the average price in West Midlands (£242,000) in April for a property in Sandwell. Across West Midlands, property prices are lower than those across the UK, where the average cost £281,000.

The most expensive properties in West Midlands were in Stratford-on-Avon – £386,000 on average, and twice as much as more than in Sandwell. Stratford-on-Avon properties cost 2.8 times as much as homes in Stoke (£136,000 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 April

Sandwell: £195,453West Midlands:£242,145UK: £281,161

Annual growth to April

Sandwell: +16.1%West Midlands: +11.8%UK: +12.4%

Highest and lowest annual growth in West Midlands

Herefordshire: +18.3%Staffordshire Moorlands: +5.5%