Owner-occupation is the most common tenure in the Highlands. At the time of the census in 2001, two-thirds (66%) of households owned or were buying their house with a mortgage. This is proportionally greater than in Scotland overall (63%). In the rural areas of the Highlands, the percentage of households who own their home is even higher compared with other tenures.
Whilst house prices have been rising in recent years, many are now falling. Prices vary across the different parts of Highland. In the past the highest price rises have been in Skye and Lochalsh, Ross and Cromarty and Inverness. Prices are also high in Badenoch and Strathspey and Nairn. Caithness has the lowest house prices. House prices are also lower in Sutherland and East Ross. Inverness has the highest number of sales in the Highlands. This is not surprising given that most of the population live here. There has also been much new house build activity there. Speculative house-building by developers outside of the Inverness housing market area is low. This means that to get a new house many people contract building firms to build a home for them (self-procurement) or organise the house building process themselves (self-build).
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