THE cost of buying a flat in Inverclyde has shot up by 15 per cent, new figures have revealed.

Homeowners have to shell out an average of £92,000 for an apartment, compared to just £80,000 last year.

The official figures come from the latest quarterly statistics for residential property sales from Registers of Scotland.

The report shows a total 282 properties of all types changed hands in the district between April and June this year.

The average purchase price was £129,514.

During the same three-month period last year, the average home sale was £121,807, meaning there has been a six per cent rise.

The average house price in Scotland for the three month period this year stands at just over £162,000.

All property types across the nation showed an increase in average house price this quarter, the biggest increase being in flats, at just over five per cent.

In Inverclyde that increase was from £80,228 last year to £92,919.

But the number of flat sales dropped, from 121 last year to 112 this year.

There was little change in the sales of semi-detached homes locally, with 51 sold this quarter compared to 53 last quarter.

But their average price rose, going from £115,966 to £121,775.

The latest average price for a detached home in Inverclyde dropped by two per cent, going from £250,619 down to £245,634.

Sales of this type of property rose from 46 to 51. Meanwhile the terraced housing market saw average prices drop from £107,930 to £94,204 — down 12 per cent.

But more of them changed hands, with 68 sold compared to 41 in the same three month period last year.

Neighbouring Renfrewshire recorded the highest percentage rise in average price in Scotland compared to the previous year, up 16.8 per cent to £128,138.

East Renfrewshire has the highest average at £232,987.

Registers of Scotland’s director of commercial services, Kenny Crawford, said: “This is the fourth consecutive quarter that volumes have increased in excess of 22 per cent on the previous year, demonstrating sustained growth in the Scottish property market.

“All local authorities showed an increase in sale volumes, with the exception of Aberdeen City.

“It’s also the first time in almost four years that we’ve seen the average house price rise by more than five per cent.”