House-price inflation eases but homes are still unaffordable for most potential buyers
House prices rose by an average of 0.8pc in the three months to September, according to the latest Daft.ie property price report.But despite the easing of property inflation, home prices have shot up so much in the past few years that thousands of potential buyers are priced out of the market.Daft.ie said the average price of a three-bedroom semi-detached house is now just over €421,000.Asking prices are now almost 6pc higher than a year ago, and 39pc above their pre-Covid levels.Home values have shot up to such an extent in the last five years that they are now just 10pc below their Celtic Tiger peak.Chairperson of the Land Development Agency, Cormac O’Rourke said recently that up to 70pc of income earners in the State are effectively priced out of the housing market in terms of both rents and house prices.Those earning up to €68,400 a year cannot afford the average market rent or the average purchase price of a home without state support, he said.Professor in economics at Trinity College Dublin Ronan Lyons said inflation remains well above inflation in the wider economy. Photo: Conor McCabeDaft.ie said there has been a slow-down in the rate of property-price rises, particularly in Dublin.Prices in the capital were up by 4.5pc in the past year, compared with an average of almost 6pc across the rest of the country.In Munster prices were up 5pc annually, and rose below the national average in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.But there were rises of close to 9pc in the area outside Galway city, and a rise of 7.2pc outside Dublin.There are some indications that new homes are sustaining activity levels in the marketHigher numbers of homes to buy have helped ease the rate of increase in prices.At the start of September there were a total of 11,925 second-hand homes for sale nationwide.This is up marginally on the same date a year previously.However, availability of homes to purchase is less than half the average between 2015 and 2019, Daft said.Author of the report and professor in economics at Trinity College Dublin, Ronan Lyons said inflation has eased compared to the start of the year but remains well above inflation in the wider economy.Marking two decades of the Daft.ie report, Prof Lyons said that over the last 20 years the housing market experienced a wide variety of conditions.“Nonetheless, for over half that span, the predominant theme has been a shortage of supply,” he said.“There are some indications in this latest report that new homes are sustaining activity levels in the market, even though construction is still low compared to underlying need.”He added that more construction – and a healthier second-hand segment – are the key ingredients needed to improve the market.Today's News in 90 Seconds - September 30th In Dublin the average price of a three-bed semi is now €612,824.This is 4.5pc higher than a year ago.In other cities the average price is up 5.8pc, at €386,004, compared with a year ago.Leinster, excluding Dublin, has an average price of €361,499 – a rise of 7.2pc in the past year.Outside of the cities in Munster, the average price is up 5pc to €297,996.Connacht-Ulster has average prices of €248,925, when Galway city is excluded. This is a rise of 8.7pc on a year ago.There were a total of 56,997 housing-market transactions in the year to mid-2025, effectively unchanged in annual terms, Daft.ie said.
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