Homes in the country cost 15% more than properties in urban areas, pricing many first-time buyers out of the market, figures showed today.

House prices in cities in the North have more than doubled during the past five years, outperforming growth in the rest of the UK, figures showed today.

Northern Ireland is just one of two UK regions where annual house price inflation is still in double figures, a new report revealed today.

The price of property in the majority of the UK’s major university towns has doubled during the past five years, figures showed today.