A council area near Glasgow has been named the most affordable place to buy a home in the UK.
House prices in Inverclyde were 3.1 times average earnings, compared to the UK average of more than seven times average earnings.
Research from mortgage lender Halifax found that house prices are continuing to rocket across the country with a typical UK home now costing 7.1 times average earnings.
Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, house prices have risen by 16.8% from £239,281, with earnings rising by 2.7% from £38,374.
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In the first quarter of 2022, the cost of an average home in the UK was £279,431, while annual average earnings of a full-time worker were estimated to be £39,402.
London was found to be the most expensive place to buy a home, with an average property price of £534,977 and house price to earnings ratio of 9.7.
The research also discovered that the average age of a first-time buyer is 32 - three years older than a decade ago - and that many in this category will be joint applicants who have two wages to support housing costs, which may include funds from the "bank of mum and dad".
Andrew Asaam, mortgages director at Halifax, said: "With interest rates on the rise as a means of combatting inflation, it's unlikely that house prices will continue to grow at the pace we've seen recently.
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"This should see the gap between average earnings and property prices decrease over time."
The research was based on data from the Halifax house price index, which compared typical house prices to average earnings across the UK.
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