Rise of 13% in  Limerick house prices is  unlucky for some  

THE AVERAGE house price in County Limerick is now €196,000, according to Daft.ie.

This is 49% above its lowest point. Prices in the first three months of 2019 were 13% higher than a year previously, compared to a rise of 8% seen a year ago. The national average price in the first quarter of the year was €261,000, up 5.9% on the figure for the same period last year, an increase of €15,000 on average. It is the 22nd consecutive quarter that the national average price was higher than a year ago.

Limerick city saw the biggest average house price rise of any Irish city. Prices in the first three months of 2019 were 11.4% higher than a year previously, in contrast to a rise of 4% in 2018 compared to 2017. The average house price in the city is now €201,000, 69% above its lowest point.

The 11.4% jump compares to Dublin city average price of €383,315 – up 4.1%; Cork city: €282,518 – 8%; Galway city: €300,547 – 9.9%; Waterford city: €181,948 – up 10.3%.

Commenting on the figures, Ronan Lyons, economist at Trinity College Dublin and author of the Daft.ie report, said: “On the face of it, the signals from the market in early 2019 appear to be largely unchanged from recent years, with prices rising in all 54 markets – 25 parts of Dublin, the four other cities and remaining 25 counties - in the first three months of the year.” The number of properties available to buy on the market nationwide was just over 22,500 in March, up 11% year-on-year.