Land Registry figures show the strongest growht in the South West

House prices rose by 0.4% in England and Wales from June to July, according to the latest data from the Land Registry.

The organisation, which registers land sales in the UK, said that the July average price was £166,798, 6.7% higher than the average from July 2009.

The data, which follows a 0.6% monthly rise reported by the Halifax, is seen as the most reliable data as it is based on completed final transactions. However it comes as other surveys are predicting small falls in prices in August, as an increase in the number of homes on the market is leading to the number of willing buyers being outnumbered by available properties.

the Land Registry said four regions saw a decline in prices over the month, the East, North East, North West and Wales. The South West showed the strongest price rises, with growth of 2.2% over the month.

Year on year London saw the biggest price rise, with a 12.1% increase on July 2009, followed by the South East with a 9.3% rise.

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