The study, which was carried out by leading property website MyHome.ie, shows that the number of sales nationwide was down by 4.6% in Q1 2020 compared to the same quarter the year before (11,161 sales in Q1 2020, compared with 11,702 in Q1 2019). These are the lowest Q1 sales figures since Q1 2017, when 11,053 units were sold.
The analysis also shows mixed results in urban centres – there has been a fall in activity in Dublin, with the number of sales in the capital dipping by 7.2% (3,482 sales in Q1 2020 compared to 3,751 sales in Q1 2019). In Limerick, meanwhile, sales rose by 7.2% (434 sales in Q1 2020 compared to 405 sales in the same period last year).
Notable figures include:
Across the country, 13 counties reported a fall in sales figures, eight counties experienced rises and five counties stayed flat (Galway at -0.5%, Kerry at 0.7%, Mayo at -0.3%, Offaly at 0% and Waterford at 0.6%).
Dublin, which is responsible for almost a third of sales in the Irish property market, recorded 3,482 sales in Q1 2020. The capital was followed by Cork with 1,267 sales, and Kildare with 567. The counties with the lowest number of sales were Leitrim (89), Monaghan (90), and Longford (91).
Angela Keegan, Managing Director of MyHome.ie, said that Covid-19 had negated any potential bounce-back in activity following the Brexit uncertainty of last year, but welcomed the fact that construction work would be resuming soon. “Brexit uncertainty had a significant effect on sales activity in late 2019, something which was apparent into the new year. This was compounded by Covid-19 at the start of March, just when we thought we would see an increase in sales. The Government’s roadmap for the easing of Covid-19 restrictions states that construction workers can resume work from May 18th. This clarity is welcome as the longer we wait for construction to resume, the greater the fall-off in new homes will be which is something the market can ill-afford at present.”
