Find out where you can find the cheapest homes to buy in the West Midlands
They are communities rich in industrial heritage with award-winning parks and known for their friendly people.
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Yet anyone wanting to buying a house in Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton can expect to pay the least for a home in the West Midlands.
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Affluent areas such as Solihull, Worcester and Lichfield may see potential home owners having to break the bank to get on the property ladder.
But those wishing to purchase a home in the Black Country will spend less – but for some community leaders the prices are still too high.
A report by the National Housing Federation has revealed the cheapest and most expensive locations to buy a house in terms of average prices. The cheapest area is Stoke-on-Trent, where the average price is £112,476.
This is followed by Sandwell, where the average house fetches £134,267, Wolverhampton, £146,359 and Walsall, £158,017.
In Dudley the average house price in 2016 was £164,648, while Wyre Forest has an average house price of £186,377. The most expensive is Stratford-upon-Avon, £329,925.
In Stafford, the average price is £207,307, and in Lichfield it is £249,396. In South Staffordshire the average house price was £224,556.
Cannock Chase has an average price of £158,222 – but offers one of the cheapest average private sector rents – £517 a month.
According to the report, there are 40,000 fewer homes than needed in the West Midlands. In Sandwell there are 4,889.
Sandwell council leader Steve Eling said: "House prices have always been lower in Sandwell. They are more affordable than elsewhere in the region.
"It is not a bad thing if the prices are lower, if it helps people get on the housing ladder. Sandwell is a good place to live."
Councillor Judy Foster, deputy leader of Dudley Council, said: "I have mixed feelings that Dudley has the highest average price in the Black Country, but is still below the West Midlands average. I think house prices in Dudley have increased by six per cent in the last 12 months.But the question is how do we keep young people in the borough. As house prices increase, does it affect them trying to get on the ladder."
The report highlights the housing challenges that the West Midlands faces including that the average house price is almost eight times the average salary, rising to nearly 11 times salaries in areas such as the Malvern Hills and Wychavon.
It claims the average income required for a mortgage is more than £45,000. The report also illustrates how housing associations are providing solutions to these challenges, including that last year housing associations in the West Midlands built over 3,500 new homes, and started building almost 5,000 more.
The average house price across the West Midlands according to the report is £197,600. The average private sector rent is over £600 a month, but this also varies greatly across the region, from £450 to over £800.
The report also sets out the average rent paid by private sector tenants in each area. Tenants in Wolverhampton have the lowest rents in the Black Country with the average at £513 per month.
In Sandwell the average is £519; in Walsall the average is £524; and in Dudley it stands at £530. Lichfield has some of the highest rents in the region, with the average monthly payment being £680. South Staffordshire tenants pay an average of £654; in Stafford they pay £569; and in Cannock Chase they pay much less, with the average just £517.
In Wyre Forest the average monthly rent is £547.