Kildare House Price Survey September 2020

The time taken to sell the average house in Kildare has fallen by a fortnight in the past quarter, a national property survey has found.

The REA Average House Price Survey found that the average time taken to sell across the county fell over the past three months from nine weeks to seven.

The price of the average three-bed semi-detached house in the county rose by 1.1% over the past 12 months to €285,000.%

Prices were unchanged across the county this quarter. Over the past 12 months, Naas prices rose 1.8% to €285,000, prices in Maynooth rose 1.6% to €310,000, Newbridge prices rose 0.8% to €240,000, and prices in Celbridge were unchanged at €305,000.

“The new homes and first-time buyers’ market is busy, but higher end properties are slow,” said Brian Farrell of REA Brophy Farrell in Naas, Newbridge, Maynooth and Celbridge.

“The Kildare lockdown had an effect in that a significant proportion of our new homes sales are of interest to Dublin purchasers, and movement into the county was prohibited.

“Things have recovered well since, and there have been no long-term effects – things could be impacted significantly if a lockdown was imposed again and for a longer period of time.

“Similarly, we would be impacted if movement from Dublin is curtailed as most purchasers are commuters – again on our new homes offerings in particular.”

The REA Average House Price Survey concentrates on the actual sale price of Ireland's typical stock home, the three-bed semi, giving an accurate picture of the second-hand property market in towns and cities countrywide.

The average three bed semi nationally is now reaching sale agreed after seven weeks across the country – a significant fall from the ten-week average in June.

Despite fears of a downturn in the market during the Covid-19 crisis, the price of a three-bedroomed semi-detached house across the country rose by 0.6% over the past three months to €236,046, an annual increase of 0.4%.

Reflecting the beginnings of a flight to rural locations, prices in the rest of the country’s towns rose by almost 1% in 12 weeks to €163,345.

The price of a three-bedroomed semi-detached house in Dublin City rose by 0.5% to €429,333 during the past three months, an annual increase of 0.2%.

Commuter counties fared less well than Dublin, with three bed semis averaging €247,667, a 0.3% rise on the Q2 figure of €246,944.

“Houses are taking an average three weeks less to sell across the country, driven by a combination of low supply and highly-motivated buyers,” said REA spokesperson Barry McDonald.

“This is a huge shift in market behaviour, and one that we have not experienced in the last decade with almost every agent reporting a substantial drop in the time to reach sale agreed.”