'Life is on hold just to chase an ever-moving market': Readers on the reality of buying a home in 2026
First-time homebuyers in Ireland are facing significant challenges as property prices continue to climb, rising approximately 46% over the last five years. Many prospective buyers are struggling to secure homes despite having mortgage approval, often finding themselves outbid by 10% or more above asking prices.
Why it matters
The ongoing housing affordability crisis is forcing a generation of young adults to delay life milestones and move further away from urban centers.
JUST OVER A year and a half ago, we asked readers a simple question: how does anyone actually manage to buy a house in Ireland?
Readers told us about inheritances and loans from parents, years living at home, sacrificing holidays, moving counties and, in one memorable case, living in a freezing cabin where slugs came through the walls.
Many who had bought felt lucky to have done so when they did, saying they couldn’t afford the same home today.
They were right: prices have kept climbing. The median home sold for €396,000 in the 12 months to June, according to the CSO.
Figures from the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV) are even more stark. They show the average price across three- and four-bedroom semi-detached houses and two-bedroom apartments has risen from €280,629 in early 2021 to €411,241 this year, an increase of around 46% in five years.
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