THE property market is on the up in Dunfermline and West Fife, according to the latest figures.

ESPC's House Price Report for December revealed that the average house price in Dunfermline between October and December was £175,604, which was an increase of 9.2 per cent on the same period the previous year.

In West Fife and Kinross, the cost was up 9.1 per cent from £165,987 to £181,078.

The rises were higher than the average for East Central Scotland, which was up 4.4 per cent to £244,437.

The number of homes brought to market in the area between October and December 2018 increased by 23.9 per cent year-on-year with homes achieving 103.3 per cent of their Home Report valuation on average, compared to 103.7 per cent for the same period last year.

During this three-month period, the median time to sell was 22 days compared to 20 days last year while between 24.3 per cent of sales went to a closing date, down from 28.8 per cent last year.

ESPC business analyst Jamie Fraser-Davidson said: "At the start of 2018, the East Central Scotland property market was limited by the shortage of properties coming to market so it is encouraging to see a significant upswing in the number of new listings in the final few months of the year – this is a good sign for buyers.

"At the same time, average selling prices are continuing to rise at a steady pace, which is positive news for sellers.

“Although it’s still unclear exactly what 2019 will bring in terms of changes to the UK housing market, particularly considering the uncertainty of Brexit, the East Central Scotland property market ended 2018 in a strong position and appears set to face the challenges of the upcoming months.”