Small rise in house market prices

Although overall house prices rose, most local authority areas saw a drop in the cost of a home

House prices in Scotland rose by 0.4% between April and June, according to the latest official figures.

The number of homes sold during the same period in 2010 fell by more than 10%, said the Registers of Scotland.

The average home cost stood at £153,820. The most expensive place to buy was East Renfrewshire where the average price was £221,309.

One of the largest increases was in the Borders, with the biggest fall in North Ayrshire.

The Registers of Scotland (Ros) figures showed Borders homes increased by an average of 15.2% compared with the previous year and an average house there costs £187,046.

The 9.5% fall in the price of houses in North Ayrshire means the average cost is now £108,049.

Overall, 18 of the 32 local authority areas saw a drop in prices during the period surveyed.

The total value of sales across Scotland fell by 10.5% over the year to £2.6bn with Edinburgh the largest market with properties worth a total of £389m sold over the three months between April and June.

The Ros figures cover all house sales in Scotland, including those bought and sold for cash.