By Irishexaminer.com,Sean Murray

Copyright irishexaminer

“The region outside of Dublin that saw the largest growth in house prices was the Midlands (Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath) at 10.9%, while at the other end of the scale, the South-East (Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, and Wexford) and the South-West (Cork and Kerry) both saw a rise of 8.1%,” CSO statistician Niall Corkery said.

The statistics show that house prices are now 20.9% higher than their Celtic Tiger peak in April 2007 and are almost 170% higher than the low they reached in early 2013.

In all, the CSO said that 4,712 homes changed hands in July 2025, according to filings with Revenue. Of these, almost a quarter (24.3%) were new homes.

Meanwhile, first-time buyers accounted for just over 37% of the homes bought in the last year while over half (52.1%) were previous homeowners and a further 10.5% were non-owner occupiers such as funds and approved housing bodies.

By Eircode, the most expensive place to buy a home in Ireland was A94 Blackrock, with a median price of €795,000. The cheapest was F45 Castlerea, with a median price of €150,000.

Trevor Grant, chair of Irish Mortgage Advisors, said that the slight fall in inflation observed in July is “not unusual for summer” which can be a quieter time for house sales.

“However, this easing could be short-lived and we could well see the rate of house price growth pick up for September and October, often busy months for house sales,” he said.

It must be noted too that while the rate of annual house price growth has slightly eased, house prices are still rising steeply and so remain unaffordable for many.

The latest house price inflation figures come after CSO data revealed on Tuesday a 12.5% fall in the number of new homes granted planning permission in the second quarter of this year which Mr Grant described as “deeply concerning” and something that “doesn’t bode well” for those struggling to buy a home.

“It must be noted too that in certain parts of Ireland, house price inflation has become significantly steeper in recent years and is running well above average,” he said. “This means that many locals are being priced out of their home towns and areas once considered affordable for commuters are no longer so.”

Government housing plan

The never-ending rise in property prices continues as the Government expects to publish its long-awaited new housing plan next month.

At the Fianna Fáil think-in this week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin hit out at local authorities and said the Government would use legislation to rezone land for housing if they don’t re-open their development plans.

“If we’re to have a sustainable future in housing, we simply have to zone more land,” Mr Martin said. “It’s not just for tomorrow, it’s for the years to come.”

On the new housing plan, Mr Martin said it would be more “focused and succinct” than Housing for All.