THE recovery in the Scottish property market is built on "solid foundations" despite a slight drop in the average cost of a home, according to experts.

The latest house price index presents a mixed picture. Annual sales growth surged as the "uncertainty" over independence was put to bed with the referendum vote.

It was the strongest September for transactions since 2007, with sales up 15 per cent in a year compared to seven per cent in the 12 months to August.

The LSL Property Services/Acadata report showed average house prices fell for the second successive month, down 0.4 per cent or £587 over the month, slowing the annual change to 5.1 per cent.

However, the average Scottish home has risen in value by nearly £8000 in the last year after a sustained period of growth, taking the average house price across the country to £163,630.

Some areas have seen significantly greater growth with the average house price in East Renfrewshire up from £204,336 in September last year to £231,754 in 2014, an increase of 13 per cent.

The Glasgow commuter belt area, which includes Newton Mearns, Giffnock and Clarkston, has the top-performing secondary schools in the country.

New peaks were also reached in East Lothian and Aberdeen. The price of a detached home in Aberdeen city is now £410,000, an increase of £15,000 over the last three months.

But prices dipped in other high-end areas with a 1.3 per cent monthly drop in Edinburgh, and a 1.2 per cent decline in Aberdeenshire.

Christine Campbell, regional managing director of Your Move, said: "Following almost a year of fair winds and steadfast price rises, this is the second month in succession to muddy the waters, with average property values in Scotland falling a further 0.4 per cent in September.

"Two of the most expensive areas of the country, Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire, saw the tide turn, reflecting the ripples in evidence in prime areas of central London, as the top tier of the housing market experiences the keenest downturn.

"While Scottish house prices have sailed up by nearly £8000 in the last 12 months overall, the rate of annual growth appears to have changed tack, easing back to 5.1 per cent in September from 5.8 per cent in August.

"Since June, the monthly pace of house price growth has ebbed away, as doubt raged over the future of Scotland within the United Kingdom and touched the brakes on activity in the housing market."

But Ms Campbell said the shifts on the surface of the market have not uprooted the foundations of the recovery.

Average house prices across 81 per cent of Scotland are higher than they were in 2013, she said.

Ms Campbell added: "After the ground that was lost in August, renewed demand saw more vigorous activity that bucked the usual seasonal pattern, and this was the strongest September for house sales in seven years."

Faisal Choudhry , associate director and head of Scottish research at estate agents Savills, said the future for the Scottish poperty market looks positive. He said: "East Renfrewshire has been boosted by the new-build property market, which explains the rise in prices there.

"There will be ups and downs as we emerge from the recession but overall there is more stability and certainty in the market than there has been.

"It's good news and although the rate of growth is slow it is still going in the right direction."