THE TYPICAL GAP between the initial listed price and the sale price of homes in Ireland has widened to 6.6% – close to a record high.

Meanwhile, the average listed price for homes nationally rose by 5.5% during 2025, with €423,000 becoming the average asking price for a three-bed semi-detached house.

Inflation is lower in Dublin, where prices were up 3.1% year-on-year. In Connacht and Ulster prices rose by 11.6% during 2025.

Asking prices are now, on average, 41% above their pre-pandemic levels and just 10% below their Celtic Tiger peak.

It’s the twelfth year in a row of increasing prices. 

Ronan Lyons, a professor in economics at Trinity College Dublin, said that despite this modest decline, “the market remains very tight”.

“The volume of second-hand homes put up for sale over the course of the year was just over 53,000 – this down compared to peak in early 2023 of 63,000, before the interest rate shock kicked in. And it’s also down about 10% compared to the pre-covid level,” said Lyons.

“A fall-off in supply of about 10% is one thing. But trends in availability on the market – which reflects both supply and demand – are worse.”

The latest Daft.ie House Price Report, which revealed the data, says the increase in prices stems from a lack of supply.

On 1 December, there were just 11,551 second-hand homes for sale nationwide.

While this is up 7% on the same date a year previously, availability is less than half the 2015-2019 average of 26,000.

Shortages in availability are more acute outside Dublin. Availability is 63% below what it was in the late 2010s outside the capital, while it’s only 16% lower in Dublin.

Lyons commented: “And, since the pandemic, the availability of homes to buy has become stuck at a much lower level than before – putting greater pressure on buyers.

“The solution remains unchanged. A country that is building between 30,000 and 35,000 homes needs to double that total – across owner-occupied, social and rental segments – so that the housing reflects society, rather than society having to fit the housing stock.”

Note: Journal Media Ltd has shareholders in common with Daft.ie publisher Distilled Media Group.