Reading has seen the biggest increase in the country for house prices in 2015.
Prices were up 17.1per cent at the end of December compared to a year before, the biggest rise in England and Wales.
The average price in the area is now £266,045.
The influence of Crossrail could be behind the rise, at least in part.
House prices
The December data from the Land registry shows a monthly price increase of 1.2 per cent.
George Steedman, sales manager at Romans Reading estate agents, said 'savvy investors' are looking to buy in Reading.
"They quickly recognised the impact this type of regeneration can have on house prices and began exploring buy-to-let options," he said.
"Furthermore, the continued town centre regeneration, including the last major plot of Reading Prison which will be developed and the new train line going into Green Park, continue to attract a lot of buyers to the area, pushing prices up even more.
"With a shortage of properties still available and a rapid increase in new households, demand is considerable, particularly in towns such as Reading where the number of households is projected to increase by 17% by 2037.
“We’re predicting house prices will rise by a further 10% during 2016.”
The annual price change now stands at 6.4 per cent, bringing the average house price in England and Wales to £188,270.
The number of property transactions has decreased over the last year. From July 2014 to October 2014 there was an average of 84,517 sales per month. In the same months a year later, the figure was 80,691.
The region with the most significant annual price increase is London with a movement of 12.4 per cent.
The North East saw the smallest annual price increase of 0.8 per cent.
London also experienced the greatest monthly price rise with a movement of 2.1 per cent. Wales saw the most significant monthly price decrease with a fall of 0.8 per cent.