National house prices set to rise by 5.3% this year with estate agents forecasting increases of 8% in Limerick and Cork and 10% in Kildare and Longford – The Sunday Times Nationwide Property Price Guide

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  • Lower price increases of 2-4% expected in counties Clare, Donegal, Galway, Kilkenny, Louth, Monaghan, Waterford and Wicklow

 

  • While many homes sold above asking price in 2025, estate agents predict fewer bidding wars in 2026

 

  • Second-hand housing stock remains a challenge across all counties, with estate agents indicating that 10–20% more listings than 2025 levels are required for the market to function normally

 

  • Mohill, Co. Leitrim, Tipperary Town and Strokestown, Co. Roscommon among most affordable areas for three bed semi-detached houses

 

Agents across Ireland expect property values to rise by an average of 5.3% this year, as first-time buyers continue to be pushed out of the Dublin market and supply falls short of demand nationwide, according to the 2026 Sunday Times Nationwide Property Price Guide, in partnership with AIB.

 

This represents a more cautious outlook than in 2025, when estate agents predicted an average 7% nationwide increase. There is a growing sense that the dramatic price growth of recent years is behind us, and that a period of stabilisation may be emerging.

 

New-build activity is beginning to alleviate pressure in Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Cork, Sligo, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, and Galway city, while lower price increases of 2–4% are expected in Clare, Donegal, Galway, Kilkenny, Louth, Monaghan, Waterford, and Wicklow.

 

Although mortgage approval is becoming more accessible for first-time buyers, those purchasing newly released A-rated homes are typically couples. In the second-hand market, Irish first-time buyers are competing with international professionals, downsizers, and an increasing number of Americans and Asians with substantial purchasing power looking to settle in Ireland.

 

The dedicated 32-page supplement, now in its 24th year, will be published free with The Sunday Times this Sunday, 18th January.

 

The Sunday Times Nationwide Property Price Guide is the authoritative guide to the Irish property market, featuring interviews with a number of estate agents from around the country who outline their predictions for the year ahead. It also includes a detailed analysis of property prices for a wide variety of house types across all of the nation’s postcodes outside Dublin.

 

Key insights include:

 

  • Estate agents in Clare, Galway, Limerick, Laois, Longford, Tipperary and Wicklow cite a lack of new home schemes as a key constraint. Some of them foresee little change over the next three years due to issues around viability and, in some cases, infrastructure deficits

 

  • Turnkey family homes with high energy ratings remained in high demand during 2025, often reaching premium prices. In contrast to Dublin, certain houses around the country that required renovation sold well, as buyers took advantage of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant

 

  • First-time buyers with mortgage approval, mainly couples, drove activity in 2025, while investors are increasingly absent from the market

 

  • There is an exodus of private landlords from the market nationwide, with more expected to follow ahead of changes to tenancy laws on March 1st. This will increase the level of second-hand stock but further tighten the rental market

 

  • The most expensive location for a second-hand three-bed semi-detached home is Greystones, Co. Wicklow (€630,000), followed closely by Salthill near Galway City, where prices are expected to rise from €550,000 to €620,000 this year

 

The Sunday Times Nationwide Property Price Guide also reveals that the top ten most affordable examples of three-bed, semi-detached houses are in the following locations:

 

  1. Mohill, Co. Leitrim (€175,000)
  2. Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim (€185,000)
  3. Ballymote/Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo (€185,000)
  4. Tipperary Town (€195,000)
  5. Granard, Co. Longford (€200,000)
  6. Strokestown, Co. Roscommon (€200,000)
  7. Letterkenny, Co. Donegal (€200,000)
  8. Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan (€205,000)
  9. Clara, Co. Offaly (€210,000)
  10. Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford (€215,000)

Sorcha Corcoran, editor of The Sunday Times Nationwide Property Price Guide, says:“Estate agents across Ireland are predicting a more measured year for the property market in 2026, with an average nationwide increase of 5.3%. While growth is slowing compared to the dramatic rises of recent years, demand continues to outstrip supply, particularly in cities and other high-employment areas. First-time buyers remain the main drivers of activity, yet competition from international professionals and downsizers is intensifying. The ongoing shortage of second-hand homes, coupled with construction delays in certain regions, means the market will remain challenging, even as new-build activity starts to ease pressure in some counties.”

The Sunday Times Dublin Property Price Guide, in association with AIB, will be published on Sunday, 18th January. For full details, pick up a copy of The Sunday Times this weekend or online at Thesundaytimes.com/ireland

 

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