Marian Finnegan
Chief executive of Sherry FitzGerald
The residential market in 2025 continued to experience many of the challenges evident in recent years. Price inflation for second-hand properties remained strong, rising by an average of 7 per cent to 9 per cent over the year as demand consistently outpaced supply. Although the number of new homes completed is expected to marginally exceed 2024 levels, it remains significantly below what is required to alleviate the ongoing supply shortage.
On a positive note, the Government has taken an active role in addressing the barriers to increased supply. Key initiatives include efforts to overcome infrastructural deficits, improve the viability of apartment developments and bring derelict properties back into use. However, it will take time for these measures to translate into meaningful improvements in overall supply.
Less encouraging is the recent pipeline data. Planning permissions have declined year-on-year since 2023, largely driven by reduced apartment approvals. Commencement figures for 2025 are also well below average – though this follows an exceptional surge in 2024, prompted by the end of development levy and water rebate schemes. While this surge suggests that completions may rise further in 2026, a sustained and significant increase in pipeline activity is urgently needed to meet future demand. As a result, 2026 is likely to present continued challenges for both purchasers and tenants.
Orla McMorrow
Deputy chief executive of DNG
DNG research shows that in Dublin, in the period January to October this year, there was a modest increase of just 1.5 per cent in the number of second-hand homes brought to the market for sale compared to the same period in 2024. Nationally (including Dublin) there was a similar increase of 1.4 per cent over the same period.
RM Block
Proposed rental reforms announced in June have accelerated the departure of private landlords from the rental sector. Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) figures released last week show that in quarter three, notices of termination from landlords exiting the sector were up 35 per cent compared with the same period last year. Although these properties are typically purchased by first-time buyers, boosting the owner-occupier market, the trend continues to erode private landlord rental supply at a time when demand remains high.
[ Number of eviction notices increases by third due to landlords selling propertyOpens in new window ]
Government incentives aimed at stimulating new-homes delivery are welcome, but meaningful increases in output are unlikely to be felt before 2027/2028.
By year-end, Dublin residential prices are expected to rise by approximately 6 per cent. Looking ahead to 2026, I anticipate continued but moderating price growth in the region of 3–5 per cent, with constrained supply and steady demand remaining the defining forces in the market.
Joanne Geary
Managing director of MyHome.ie
As we gear up for 2026, the Irish property market continues to be shaped by scarcity and rising prices. Our MyHome quarter-three property report reveals that asking-price inflation is currently at 5.7 per cent year-on-year, outstripping wage growth and driving average house prices to eight times the average income. Regional prices are rising faster than those in Dublin, pushing more buyers into the rental market or out of the country altogether.
Even with a modest uptick in new-home construction, completions this year are expected to reach only 35,000 units, which is still far below the 50,000–60,000 units needed annually to meet demand. All eyes will be on how the Government’s new housing plan unfolds, aiming for an ambitious 50,500 new builds per year. It will indeed need to hit the ground running to meet this target.
Stock for sale is alarmingly low, currently 50 per cent lower than a decade ago, and the second-hand sales market shows no signs of supply recovery. Affordability is at its worst since 2009, with the market being constrained by supply rather than demand. At the time of going to print, only 12,400 homes were listed for sale on MyHome, with new listings down 38 per cent compared to the same period last year.
As we look towards 2026, our outlook is clear: without significant supply-side intervention, price pressures, albeit at lower single-digit levels, and limited availability will continue to define the market.
Stephen Day
Senior director at Lisney Sotheby’s International Realty
Demand remains strong in Dublin. We continue to see bidding in excess of asking prices but the highest bids are failing to translate to sales more frequently than in previous years. This distorts seller expectations and means finding a good buyer rather than getting the highest price is more important than ever. Due to demand, these homes still sell well to a subsequent buyer but the process can be more difficult and delayed for sellers.
As with 2024, people want to buy turnkey homes and landlords want to sell rental properties as the rental market has become increasingly dysfunctional, mainly due to over-regulation. Also, we continue to see an increase in off-market transactions at the upper end.
The key changes this year are the softened growth in price inflation and pace of bidding. There appears to be fewer cash buyers, meaning more buyers are finding themselves in chain transactions and we are seeing more bridging finance. Probate times have reduced to six to seven weeks, which has been welcome.
Going into next year, talk of a potential market correction is on the rise. This narrative has lingered since 2020, during which time we have seen a global pandemic, wars and political turmoil, but demand and low unemployment appear to have sustained pricing throughout.
Ray Palmer-Smith
Director of new homes at Knight Frank
As 2025 comes to a close, the housing demand-supply imbalance remains top of the agenda and continues to result in an accelerated period of price increases. It has also been a year of considerably increased activity from first-time buyers, as the impact of almost two years of higher completion levels, along with Government incentive schemes, take effect.
A total of 24,325 new dwellings completed nationwide in the first three quarters of 2025, almost 3,000 more than the same period last year. While edging in the right direction, this pace of increase is not strong enough to meet the higher total housing output required out to 2030 to meet the current fast-paced economic and demographic profile of Ireland. Knight Frank Research forecast that 48,000 units are required per annum out to 2030, across a range of property types.
Price pressures are expected to remain in 2026, with price growth of close to 5 per cent forecast. This would be considerably steadier than the 10.8 per cent pace of increase in Dublin house prices towards the end of 2024 and in line with a modification of price increases that has emerged throughout 2025. In Dublin, for example, house prices were increasing at a rate of 5.3 per cent in September 2025.
In the second-hand market, properties in turnkey condition will continue to attract a premium price. Properties in need of extensive construction or rebuilding are expected to see the lowest price increases in 2025 but will remain in demand. An increase in supply of ex-rental properties is expected as more small landlords indicate they intend to exit the market.
2026 is set to be a positive year for sellers but to remain challenging for buyers across all categories, from first-time buyers to young professionals, those downsizing and those trading up to larger family homes.
Rose Lyle
Divisional director at Savills
The Dublin residential resales market recorded a strong performance in 2025, with robust transaction levels and annual price growth of 8 to 10 per cent. Demand continued to exceed supply across many prime locations, driving competitive bidding and reinforcing buyer confidence despite broader economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
Low stock was the defining feature of the year and the main driver of upward price pressure. Well-located family homes and high-quality apartments attracted multiple bidders, particularly in established areas such as Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, Sandymount, Mount Merrion, Foxrock and Dalkey.
A key shift in 2025 was the growing premium placed on energy efficiency. Retrofitted homes with strong Ber ratings consistently outperformed comparable properties, as buyers placed more emphasis on long-term running costs, sustainability features and EV charging capacity. While period homes remain popular, the practicality of modern or upgraded properties increasingly shaped buyer decisions.
Looking ahead, the outlook for 2026 is positive. Price growth in the prime house market is expected to remain healthy, while apartment values may stabilise slightly as more stock comes through, improving choice for buyers. With demand still elevated and quality supply limited, competitive bidding is likely to remain a feature, supporting another year of strong market activity.
Gerard O’Toole
Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland president
Prices remain elevated, rising perhaps higher this year than many had expected, particularly in the regional markets. An ongoing supply-demand imbalance and lagging new-home completions continue to underpin prices. Demand remains strongest for well-located modern homes with higher energy credentials. Conversely, we have seen far lower levels of interest in homes needing a large amount of work as construction costs continue to rise and the ability to get builders remains challenging.
We expect supply to remain constrained for new and second-hand markets throughout next year. However, as landlords continue to exit the market in significant numbers, this will help supply, particularly at the lower end of the market. In addition, the recent announcement by Bank of Ireland that it is introducing bridging finance should also assist downsizers to now move, thus also helping to increase supply of family homes.
Both the ESRI and the Central Bank have lowered their forecast for new-home completions, which remain well below Government targets. Despite various policies, the new-home market remains challenging, with serious viability concerns as costs continue to increase. This is particularly apparent in regional markets where sales values are lower.
Overall, we feel prices will continue to rise, albeit modestly, underpinned by a lack of supply. A growing lack of affordability will act as a lag on higher price growth, as will weakening consumer and business sentiment. Housing will remain the key political and societal challenge throughout 2026 and will continue to be debated across the media and industry stakeholders.
Genevieve McGuirk
Chief executive of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers & Valuers
2026 will prove to be a decisive test of whether the Government’s new housing plan, the fourth in a decade, can deliver the accelerated supply urgently needed to stabilise a market in heat pressure on both home ownership and rental.
While no one is expecting miracles in year one, effectiveness can be judged if it is seen to stimulate activity, with institutional investors increasing their interest in the Irish market. You would also expect higher commencement notices and a modest uplift in annual new-build supply for the year, with an accelerated pipeline into 2027.
There is a high degree of hope and expectation that the impending infrastructural and planning measures will be a game-changer.
In the second-hand sales market, I expect price growth to remain moderate, in the region of 3-5 per cent nationally.
Affordability pressures will persist and competition for homes is likely to remain intense, particularly in high-demand areas, clearly favouring those on higher incomes, and leaving those of lesser means to struggle and worry about whether or not they are extending themselves too far.
I expect the rental sector will continue to experience price growth across both urban and rural regions due to ongoing supply constraints. Cost-rental units in new developments will grow but supply pressures will remain. The new legislation, taking effect on March 1st, 2026, requires landlords, in most scenarios, to sell the property with tenants in situ, which negatively impacts sale value. This is already prompting the exit of small private landlords, as evidenced in RTB data. Its impact on institutional landlords remains to be seen.
