The average house price in every county across the UK is above £100,000 for the first time, according to new figures.
Research from Halifax found that even in the cheapest county - Blaenau Gwent - homebuyers are expected to stump up a typical £107,451 to get a property.
In 2001, nearly two in three counties had an average house price of below £100,000, the lender said.
Of the ten counties that have delivered the largest property price growth over the past half decade, all are in either Wales or Scotland.
Merthyr Tydfil recorded the biggest hike, with typical prices in the county putting on an extra 175%, up from £45,578 in 2001 to £125,450.
The top performing counties in England between 2001 and 2006 were County Durham and the East Riding of Yorkshire, which saw property price rises of 127% and 121% respectively.
Out of a total of 101 counties, only seven experienced house price increases of 50% or less since 2001, Halifax said.
The worst performers were Hampshire and Wiltshire, both of which saw increases of 41% over the period.
Surrey remains the most expensive county in the UK with an average house price cost in 2006 of £328,453.
Nine of the ten most expensive counties in 2006 are in the South East, with Dorset being the only exception.
