Edinburgh is a city of many charms, and despite being only 50 miles from Glasgow it often seems half a world away when it comes to the property market.

The individuality of the area only serves to fuel the housing boom, Edinburgh property has trebled in value in the last ten years and the average price now stands at £207,669 compared to a conservative £68,195 in 1997. Scotland overall has seen a rise of 22%, but it is in the capital where the greatest gains have been made.

Some put down the inflated prices to the act that Edinburgh is a beautiful city, and a capital to boot which attracts people. There are also many people in Edinburgh with money, and it being the UK's second largest financial centre only helps entice investing individuals in. Not only this, but Edinburgh is also the most prosperous city after London according to calculations of gross domestic product per person per year.

There is a slight concern that the "bubble will burst" at some point, with young couples unable to buy in many areas already - even old council housing is seeing the effects of the boom. The cheaper areas within Edinburgh, such as Sighthill are now seeing prices at an average of £115,008 which only fuels the fears of first time buyers. There are calls for the local authorities to provide more affordable housing for those out of reach of their own home. It is not all doom and gloom however - the Homestake scheme within the city allows people to buy majority equity in a property and the local authority makes up the rest - this is a route that many first time buyers have taken.

Those thinking to move further out and commute into the centre will also face a shock as surrounding areas such as Bilston and Musselburgh are experiencing an overflow of Edinburgh's popularity - partly due to improved transport links. In the centre many buy-to-let investors are reaping the rewards due to the number of universities and colleges and lately, immigrant workers - it is not unusual to find that up to two thirds of a tenement is rented out.

It used to be normal to have ten investors looking at a possible buy-to-let property in Edinburgh - now that figure stands at twenty-five - a bit daunting. Whether the boom will continue is anyone's guess, growth this year is already at 3% and set to continue.