You may be surprised at the three-bedroom houses you can still buy for £200k or less

Although the market slowed to a halt during the first lockdown, it soon cranked back into life when it reopened in May 2020 and has shown few signs of slowing down ever since.

In fact, Government data released last week showed that on average, house prices increased by 10.6 per cent in the 12 months to August 2021, bringing the average UK property price to £264,244.

What’s more, this month asking prices hit record highs in all regions across Britain, according to Rightmove.

Yorkshire and the Humber saw the lowest monthly price growth, at 1.5 per cent, bringing the average property price to £185,968. That said, we know that our area tends to be rather more affluent, and prices as a result are higher. Rightmove data show that the average price of a property in North Yorkshire last year was £275,937.

In our area, average property prices straddle that figure. In Ripon, for example, the average price is £253,598, and in Tadcaster it’s lower still, at £245,454. In Knaresborough, though, it’s £348,152 and in Harrogate it’s £382,977. In Wetherby, property prices rose by a whopping 18 per cent in 2020, reaching £447,644.

So when the market is seemingly on fire, what, you might ask, is left for the potential buyer whose financial means are not growing at the same pace as average house prices – in other words, most of us?

The answer to that question is, sadly, “not as much as there used to be”, yet there are still some great properties on the market at surprisingly sane prices.

The following three properties all fit into this category, and are some of the few three-bedroom houses still on the market for £200,000 or less.

In Ripon, 21 Princess Road is a beautiful Victorian mid-terrace house just a short walk from the city centre. It has three bedrooms – two of them doubles – bathroom, kitchen, hallway and two reception rooms, all laid out in a way that is typical for its vintage.

But what sets this house apart is that it also has loft space and two large cellar rooms that could be converted, as they have been in a number of neighbouring properties, subject to the necessary consents.

Outside, there’s a garden to the front and a courtyard to the rear, with outside store and toilet, as well as off-street parking, a storage shed, and a good-sized lawned garden.

In Harrogate, 18 Grove Park Lane follows a similar layout, with three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs and a kitchen, hallway and two reception rooms on the ground floor. Outside, the stone-fronted mid-terrace house has front and back gardens.

Finally, 20 Park Crest is a stone’s throw from the High Street in Knaresborough. It too has three bedrooms, a bathroom, hallway and two reception rooms, but also has a conservatory dining area built onto the back as an extension of the kitchen.

Outside, there are gardens to both front and rear and off-street parking is available on the driveway.