East Dunbartonshire :

Median price at August 2008: £212,499

General increase since Sept 2007: 8%

Projected increase to Sept 2009: 0%-2%

Five-year increase: 52% (£139,858)

Ten-year increase: 167% (£79,517)

West Dunbartonshire:

Median price at August 2008: £128,001

General increase since Sept 2007: 7%

Projected increase to Sept 2009: 0%-2%

Five-year increase: 67% (£67,131)

Ten-year increase: 156% (£50,380)

The complete Dunbartonshire price guide

There are lies, damn lies and statistics, and when it comes to Dunbartonshire, the numbers should always be treated with suspicion.

According to the latest figures from the Registers of Scotland, the highest year-on-year increase anywhere in the country — at 14.3% — was in West Dunbartonshire, where the average house price is £119,120. However, the figures more reflect geographical boundaries than any meaningful reality.

As we reported last year, Dunbartonshire outperformed Glasgow in the millionaire markets, with nine sales above £1m and one over £2m; however the result is a product of the accounting method used. With Bearsden’s figures blended into the Dunbartonshire total — as opposed to its more normal affiliation to Glasgow — it is hard to get an accurate rendering of the state of play in what has been one of the most active markets in the west in recent times.

Indeed, according to local estate agent David Muir, the reality is akin to that experienced in most mainstream central Scottish markets this year. “Scotland isn’t generally seeing a reduction in prices, but what we are getting are static markets characterised by a low volume of sales,” he says. “Things are taking months to shift and anything that is three bedrooms or more could be on the market until next summer.”

There are good options available for those in the area who can get their homes sold, says Muir. “Overall, you should be able to make up any shortfall on your sale when you buy. In fact, if you are trading up in the same market, then you should be more than okay.”

It is a similar scenario in the normally contrasting markets of Alexandria and Clydebank, where stringent lending criteria and uncertainty have created long sale times and a glut of homes.

In Helensburgh, perhaps one of Scotland’s most recession-proof markets, prices continue to hold up due to a simple lack of supply. The town’s period homes, many with links to star architects and designers such as William Leiper and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, are the acme of middle-class aspiration for executive commuters, weekend sailors and privacy-seeking celebrities. From Helensburgh down the coast to Rhu, there is no sense that interest rate rises or property taxation are overly dampening demand.

However, the slow sale of Lynton, considered the best house in Helensburgh, suggests that even here, there may be a ceiling on how much houses will fetch once they get beyond the £1m bracket. Nonetheless, we are convinced that Helensburgh represents the best value in terms of properties, amenities and location of all the west of Scotland’s commuter belt locations.

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