In many areas of the UK it would be impossible to imagine that house prices within other areas could be much different.  Throughout the year most experienced small ups and downs or continued declines.  However, there was for the past year one area that out performed all others when it came to rising house prices.  The largest increase in house prices for 2012 according to a new report from Halifax belonged to Southend-on-Sea.  The area achieved an increase of the average house price of 14.8% for the year.  This put the average selling price for a property there at £198,418 for the year.

Halifax reported that the top five for increases in their average house price for 2012 were in southeast England.  Within the top ten there were only two outside of London and the southwest.  Of course this is not surprising as the London area has long been experiencing increases in the average house price while all other areas struggled.  Without the London data to contribute to the overall UK house price average things would have looked much different on paper once new monthly averages were calculated by experts.

The largest decline for the year was recorded in Craigavon in Northern Ireland closely followed by Wishaw, Scotland.  The average house price declined by 18.4% in Craigavon to bring their average house price to £91,520 and there was a 12.5% decline in Wishaw.  Of the top ten for the year showing declines only one town, Gray, was within the southeast.  The other nine of the top ten declines were located within the north or northwest of England and in Scotland.