A SURGE of first-time buyers nudged the average house price up in March as they rushed to beat the stamp duty deadline, a report said.
The average cost of a house in Scotland stood at £146,633 that month, a slight rise from £145,841 in February.
However, housing transaction numbers shot up 21% from February, sparked by first-time buyers eager to get on the property ladder before the stamp duty holiday ended, the LSL/Acad Scotland House Price Index said.
The increased activity during March was a one-off and levels are expected to fall back in early summer, experts said, as banks and building societies cut lending to borrowers who have low deposits.
House prices in only 15 of Scotland's 32 local authorities increased.
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