Scottish house prices buck the UK trend

Scottish house prices are continuing to rise, despite falls in prices in the wider UK market, the Registers of Scotland have revealed.

The cost of an average home in Scotland is now 7.4% higher in the first quarter of this year than it was during the same time in 2007. The Registers of Scotland said that the average price tag of a home in Scotland is now £150,257.

However, the number of sales, cash and mortgage, fell by just under ten per cent, to £4.1 billion, in the first three months of 2008.

Regionally, the north-east of Scotland is still out performing the rest of the country - with year-on-year prices up from £151,965 to £172,930 over the period - an increase of 13.8%

Homes in Lothian, which includes Edinburgh, remain the most expensive in the country, at £187,316. The Registers of Scotland said that house prices here rose 4.8%.