HOUSE sellers in St Bees and Kirkby Stephen are proving to be a little more flexible than elsewhere in the county, according to one 'quick house sale' firm.

Not every local estate agent agrees with that analysis.

But according to Property Solvers UK, figures from the UK Land Registry cast a fascinating light on the selling habits of home owners across the region.

The figures for the year up to August suggest that Carlisle's home sellers are among some of the owners more willing to drop the price to get a quick sale.

According to the firm's research, which involved tracking more than 800 property sales, sellers in Carlisle reduced their sale price by an average of almost three per cent.

But in the Kirkby Stephen area, prices were dropped by an average of just under 6.5 per cent, while at St Bees, prices were typically being reduced by just over five per cent.

The research also lists average sold prices for homes in areas across the county.

The figure for Carlisle's CA4 area was £302,000, while in Keswick it was £337,000 and in Workington it was £162,000.

In Carlisle, Hayward Tod director Adrian Tod said the last 12 month had seen a dramatic surge in sales to buyers from outside Cumbria.

This is being put down to a growing number of people who have decided that the county - with his beautiful landscapes and good communications links - offers far greater value for money than many bigger urban centres.

The trend is also being fuelled by the pandemic fuelled move towards more remote working.

Mr Tod, who said price drops seem now to be a thing of the past, said: "People are looking for better value properties, with more space.

"Also, the rise of remote working means that people no longer need to be in a city office.

"They want a change of lifestyle... We just can't get enough property in the price range between £350,000 and £700,000."

The area in Cumbria with the cheapest sold for prices was Cleator Moor, with an average of £102,000.

In Egremont, the average was £134,000 while the CA2 area of Carlisle saw a figure of £124,000. In the CA3 area of Carlisle, the average sold for price was £174,000, with prices typically reducing by just over three per cent, the figures show.