A RECENT deep-dive into affordable housing in the UK has found that Cumnock is the best town to buy a property.

The East Ayrshire location was found to be the cheapest place in the land, after a study carried out by Zoopla.

To find the most affordable areas within Britain’s nations and regions, Zoopla specialists analysed house value-to-earnings ratios, based on a two-earner households on an average salary for the local area.

Cumnock ranked alongside Shildon in County Durham in the North East of England as the most reasonably-priced.

Cumnock was the joint-most affordable place to live.Cumnock was the joint-most affordable place to live (Image: Charlie Gilmour)

In both places the average house price is 1.1 times typical household earnings.

According to Zoopla, the average sold price for a property in Cumnock over the last 12 months is £138,926, with detached properties averaging £250,473.

READ MORE: The Chronicle looks at the projected issues in the area

Despite the cheap home prices, the population of Cumnock and the surrounding areas has dropped over the last few years, with further decreases in numbers expected in the future.

Earlier this year, the Scottish Government announced a funding boost for areas suffering population declines; £60,000 will be invested into the Cumnock area to try and improve life in this part of the region.

Zoopla's affordable homes findings said households where both people are working full-time typically face paying 3.8 times their average annual household income for a home.

Someone who is single faces paying 7.6 times their annual income on average to buy a home in Britain.

Toby Leek, NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) Propertymark president, said: “Affordability for many is a real issue and, as purse strings remain tightened despite easing factors such as slight drops in inflation, prospective and current home-owners will be looking to enter the market with caution, but also, in some cases, further flexibility in where they nest themselves.

“As many people no longer have the restriction of basing themselves from a static office full-time, they are able to look elsewhere to actually step on to the housing ladder for the first time or find their next, more affordable dream home.”