Lewes house prices increased in September

House prices increased by 1.6% in Lewes in September, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 11.3% over the last year.

The average Lewes house price in September was £411,521, Land Registry figures show – a 1.6% increase on August.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the South East, where prices decreased 0.2%, and Lewes was above the UK as a whole, where prices did not change.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Lewes rose by £42,000 – putting the area 52nd among the South East’s 64 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in Dover, where property prices increased on average by 16.8%, to £324,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Gravesham gained 7.9% in value, giving an average price of £334,000.

An imbalance between supply and demand for properties saw house prices climb across the UK throughout the pandemic.

But typical property values stalled across the UK between August and September, which caused annual growth to slow.

Andy Sommerville, director at property data provider Search Acumen said the latest data is further evidence of "a turning tide for house prices".

The figures are yet to reflect the full impact of the mini-budget, announced towards the end of September, which sparked volatitility in the mortgage market and saw interest rates on new agreements soar.

Nicky Stevenson, managing director at estate agent group Fine and Country said: “Annual house price growth slowed in September against a backdrop of rising interest rates and shrinking disposable incomes."

“All eyes will now turn to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement, which is expected to include both tax rises and spending cuts," he added.

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Lewes spent an average of £321,000 on their property – £31,000 more than a year ago, and £61,000 more than in September 2017.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £468,000 on average in September – 45.8% more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of semi-detached houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in Lewes in September – they increased 1.8%, to £434,873 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 12.7%.

Among other types of property:

Detached: up 1.7% monthly; up 11.9% annually; £630,757 averageTerraced: up 1.6% monthly; up 12.5% annually; £352,570 averageFlats: up 0.7% monthly; up 7% annually; £212,694 average

How do property prices in Lewes compare?

Buyers paid 2% more than the average price in the South East (£404,000) in September for a property in Lewes. Across the South East, property prices are roughly the same as those across the UK, where the average cost £295,000.

The most expensive properties in the South East were in Elmbridge – £744,000 on average, and 1.8 times as much as more than in Lewes. Elmbridge properties cost three times as much as homes in Southampton (£249,000 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 September

Lewes: £411,521The South East:£403,515UK: £294,559

Annual growth to September

Lewes: +11.3%The South East: +10.3%UK: +9.5%

Highest and lowest annual growth in the South East

Dover: +16.8%Gravesham: +7.9%