Sales activity rises in Cork but falls in Dublin

The number of property sales in Cork rose by 5.9% in 2019 compared to the year before, though there were 2.2% fewer in Dublin, MyHome.ie’s analysis of the Property Price Register has revealed.

There were 6,447 sales in Cork, with the number in Dublin totalling 18,247.

The county of Wicklow saw the biggest sales increase across the Republic of Ireland, with an increase of 21.5%.

Angela Keegan, managing director of MyHome.ie, said: “We knew from our analysis of the Property Price Register for the first half of 2019 that activity in commuter counties was sharply rising, and our analysis this time round proves that this trend continued throughout the year.

“The affordability of properties in the counties around Dublin is proving to be extremely popular especially with first-time buyers who are constrained due to the Central Bank’s mortgage lending rules.

“It is good to see new building starts in these counties have also continued, bringing more homes on the market where they are badly needed.”

On average across Ireland, the number of residential sales were fairly flat in 2019 year-on-year, at 1.6%.