THE most affordable areas in Dorset to buy a home have been revealed as new figures show house prices in the county dropped in July.

The average Dorset house price in July was £306,752, according to data from the Land Registry - a 2.9% decrease on June.

The drop does not, however, reverse the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 6.1 per cent annual growth.

Over the month, the picture was better than that across the South West, where prices decreased 5.8%, and Dorset outperformed the 3.7% drop for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Dorset rose by £18,000 – putting the area 26th among the South West’s 32 local authorities for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in North Devon, where property prices increased on average by 22.5%, to £291,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Cheltenham gained 3.5% in value, giving an average price of £288,000.

Estate agent Savills has examined data from 2020, when the average house price was £380,355, and found that towns such as Weymouth, Dorchester, Blandford and Bridport cost below the county average, which is pushed up by high prices in Poole and Christchurch.

According to Savills, the average cost of a home in Weymouth sits at £276,765, 26.2 per cent below the county average, compared to a home in Poole costing £437,996 - 15.2 per cent above the county average. At the lowest price in the county, purchasing a home in Gillingham will set a buyer back on average of £243,810, 35.9 per cent below the county average.

Ashley Rawlings, from Savills in Wimborne, said: "As life has slowly returned to normal, with bars, shops and restaurants open again, the accessibility and convenience of being close to these amenities is at the forefront of people's minds when searching for their next home.

"Attractive towns and cities that are well connected, have an array of good family housing stock and a choice of high-performing schools appeal to a broad profile of affluent buyers.

"However, there are also other areas where, relatively speaking, the cost of property may be more affordable - the likes of Weymouth, Dorchester, Bridport, Shaftesbury, Gillingham and Sherborne, for example.

"Young, wealthy families understandably see the appeal of urban living, while an increasing number of 'empty nesters' looking to downsize are also searching for access to good restaurants, shops and leisure facilities.

"Looking forward, those villages seen as 'best in class', with a pub, a local shop and a good sense of community alongside quality housing stock, access to schools and a decent broadband connection, will always be highly sought after. If anything, that's only increased over the last 18 months.

"Since the pandemic we have seen a significant and sustained rise in the number of buyers who want to experience village and coastal life throughout the county.

"Recent experiences have caused many people to reassess all manner of things and for some that includes the definition of an acceptable commute - with many now willing to travel that little bit further because they are visiting the office less.

"Larger family homes with outside space have been the top performers and, more generally, with demand outweighing supply, conditions are very good for sellers and buyers alike, with competitive bidding on those properties that are available being registered throughout the region."