House prices increased by 1.5% in Wrexham in April, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 14.9% 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.

READ MORE: Wrexham house prices went up again in March and are now above Wales average

In a recet 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 Wrexham house price in April was £199,555, Land Registry figures show – a 1.5% increase on March.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across Wales, where prices increased 2.2%, but Wrexham was above the 1.1% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Wrexham rose by £26,000 – putting the area 11th among Wales’s 22 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Wrexham spent an average of £173,000 on their property – £22,000 more than a year ago, and £41,000 more than in April 2017.

READ MORE: Detailed plans revealed for large 197-bedroom Wrexham student apartment complex

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £229,000 on average in April – 32.1% more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of terraced houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in Wrexham in April – they increased 1.7%, to £149,759 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 13.5%.

Among other types of property:

Detached: up 1.5% monthly; up 16.1% annually; £293,338 average

Semi-detached: up 1.5% monthly; up 15.1% annually; £181,066 average

Flats: up 1% monthly; up 11.8% annually; £101,375 average

Factfile

Average property price in April

Wrexham: £199,555

Wales: £211,990

UK: £281,161

Annual growth to April

Wrexham: +14.9%

Wales: +16.2%

UK: +12.4%