RESIDENTIAL property prices in two of the north's 11 council areas have slipped back over the last quarter despite the overall regional figure increasing by 2.3 per cent.
House prices fell by 0.4 per cent in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon district and by 0.2 per cent in Derry City and Strabane, according to the latest NI House Price Index covering the July-September period.
On the top line, the average house price for Northern Ireland is £135,060, which is up 2.3 per cent (or about £3,000) on the April-June quarter and 4.8 per cent higher than the same time a year ago.
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) said it is the sixth quarterly rise in a row, although prices are 40 per cent below the peak of the market in late 2007.
Property costs most in the Lisburn and Castlereagh area (£161,215) while at the lower end the average price is just £116,368 in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon.
Some 5,722 residential properties sold during the third quarter, though this is likely to be revised upwards later due to late returns (in quarter two, for instance, the provisional figure subsequently rose by 664 due to late returns).
House price performance by Council area over quarter three:
• Antrim and Newtownabbey - up 3.6 per cent £139,925
• Ards and North Down - up 1.9 per cent to £152,928
• Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon - down 0.4 per cent to £116,368
• Belfast - up 3.1 per cent to £129,203
• Causeway Coast and Glens - up 2.6 per cent to £141,094
• Derry City and Strabane - down 0.2 per cent to £118,436
• Fermanagh and Omagh - up 1.7 per cent to £124,513
• Lisburn and Castlereagh - up 2.2 per cent to £161,215
• Mid and East Antrim - up 2.5 per cent to £127,245
• Mid Ulster - up 2.5 per cent to £133,732
• Newry, Mourne and Down - up 4.8 per cent to £141,069
