First-time buyers have been advised to invest in a Sussex seafront property before prices escalate and the last remaining bargains disappear.

Despite the rising house prices, first-time buyers can still find an affordable home in a number of Sussex's seaside resorts.

Seafront properties are still available in many of the county's towns for £150,000, less than the national average house price of £209,000.

The last remaining bargain hot spots include Worthing, Littlehampton, Shoreham, Horsham, Bognor, Hastings, St Leonards and Eastbourne.

Council leaders and estate agents have advised people to invest in Sussex's seaside towns at the earliest opportunity before prices escalate.

Melanie Bien, of the mortgage broker Savills Private Finance, said: "Pretty seaside towns can act as a premium to house prices.

"The attraction of UK seaside resorts is growing as regeneration of towns and the clean-up of beaches make them more attractive to nostalgic holiday makers and home purchasers alike."

And Martin Ellis, chief economist at the Halifax, said: "There are still some bargains to be had for first time buyers and home movers."

A study of house price inflation around Britain's favourite seaside towns has revealed property prices have soared 223 per cent since 2000, compared with a national increase of 195 per cent.

Worthing Borough Council leader Keith Mercer said: "Sussex is one of the most sought after locations in the country to live.

"We have noticed a lot of young people and families moving to Worthing because of the difference in property value compared to other towns.

"We are pleased because part of our council policy is to encourage young families to move to Worthing.

"Worthing is excellent value for money with good shops and schools which makes it an attractive place to live.

"But how long it continues is another matter because eventually we are going to run out of property."

The regeneration of Hastings and St Leonards has increased property prices but homes in the towns remain amongst the cheapest in Sussex.

Hastings Borough Council leader Peter Pragnell said: "Hastings is a wonderful place to live and it is only going to get better.

"People have been buying in Hastings for five or six years since the regeneration started and it has become a more attractive place to live and work."

Bognor is another investment hot spot because a £500 million regeneration project is in the pipeline.

There will be new cafes, restaurants, shops, hotels, offices, housing, entertainment venues, open spaces and a public health centre. About £100 million will be spent on the seafront.

Arun District Councillor Sandra Daniells, who represents Pevensey in Bognor, said: "Bognor is seen as the poor relation but that is exactly why we want to regenerate it.

"It is a good place to invest now while the prices are relatively low because after the regeneration they will rise."

Eastbourne has long been touted as a boom town but the latest Halifax figures show the housing market has increased by 14 per cent over the past three years, which is one of the smallest rises in the country.

A report by agents Knight Frank, called Surging South, predicts a hike in property prices because people are moving to the town from London.

The number of homeowners commuting to London has increased by 82 per cent in a decade.

Eastbourne Borough Council leader David Tutt hopes property prices do not rocket because people are already priced out of the market.

He said: "We might have some property prices which are lower than other resorts, particularly Brighton, but I wouldn't call them bargains.

"We have an awful lot of young people trying to get on the property ladder but it is impossible.

"When people talk about bargains it is applicable for those people on high wages who move down from London and not for the people living here."

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