A former mining town in Scotland has been revealed to be the most affordable place to buy a home in the UK.
To find the most affordable areas within Britain’s nations and regions, property specialists at Zoopla analysed house value-to-earnings ratios, based on a two-earner household on an average salary for the local area.
It found that in Cumnock in East Ayrshire to be the most affordable, along with Shildon in County Durham in the North East of England.
In both places the average house price is 1.1 times typical household earnings.
According to Zoopla, The average sold price for a property in Cumnock over the last 12 months is £138,926, with detached properties averaging £250,473.
Cumnock, which has a population of around 13,000, was supported by mining until the decline of the industry in the 1960s.
The property website said households where both people are working full-time typically face paying 3.8 times their average annual household income for a home.
Someone who is single faces paying 7.6 times their annual income on average to buy a home in Britain.
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NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) Propertymark president Toby Leek said: “Affordability for many is a real issue and, as purse strings remain tightened despite easing factors such as slight drops in inflation, prospective and current home-owners will be looking to enter the market with caution, but also, in some cases, further flexibility in where they nest themselves.
“As many people no longer have the restriction of basing themselves from a static office full-time, they are able to look elsewhere to actually step on to the housing ladder for the first time or find their next, more affordable dream home.”
The most affordable location in the London area was still above the national average affordability ratio for a two-earner household.
Zoopla identified Croydon as the most affordable location in the capital, with homes there costing around 4.7 times local incomes.
Izabella Lubowiecka, a senior property researcher at Zoopla, said: “London remains the least affordable area for home-buyers.
“Those in London looking to get more for their money may want to consider buying in one of the South East and East of England’s commuter belt, where there are many towns that are more affordable than London.
“The same is true in markets around many regional cities and we see buyers seeking value for money.”
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