Monaghan has the least availability of second-hand homes for sale across the country, while Leitrim has the most.
New analysis from property consultants Savills Ireland looked at the number of properties for sale across the 26 counties, adjusting the number of properties for population. The data was collected earlier this month.
Across Ireland, there were 24.2 properties for sale per 10,000 population, but the data shows a significant regional variation within this.
Monaghan had the lowest number of properties for sale at just 81.
It also had the lowest on a population adjusted basis at 12.2 homes per 10,000 people – which is almost half the national average.
Meath and Kildare follow closely at 13.4 and 14.3 homes per 10,000 people respectively, with some improvement to 17.7 for Carlow and 18 for Louth.
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“What ties these counties together is that they are all commuter counties to Dublin, suggesting that the higher prices in Dublin are leading to stiff competition for homes for sale within striking distance of the capital,” Savills Ireland said in the report.
The report states that – as well as cheaper prices – greater flexibility in working patterns following the Covid-19 pandemic may also have influenced people to buy outside of Dublin.
When ranking counties from the lowest number of houses available to buy to the highest, Dublin ranks 8th, while Limerick is 6th, Galway 16th and Cork 19th.
The report states that holiday spots such as Leitrim, Mayo, Wexford, Donegal and Kerry are ranked among the most accessible places to buy from an availability point of view.
However, it adds that many of these homes are likely located in rural areas within these counties, and therefore may not be suitable for some.
The report also looks at the availability of homes for rent across the country.
It reveals that just 5.7 homes were available to rent per 10,000 people compared to 24.2 for sale.
Monaghan, Roscommon and Donegal had the least amount of homes available to rent per population, while Dublin, Carlow and Limerick had the most.
“The starkest finding of this analysis is the shortage of rental stock across the country and it is not clear how this issue is going to be resolved,” said John Ring, Director of Research at Savills Ireland.
“Apartment development, the traditional channel by which rental stock has been delivered historically, is unviable in most locations outside of Dublin, with no new apartment delivery of scale taking place since the crash.
“Furthermore, lending for buy-to-let investment is miniscule, while many existing landlords are exiting the market,” he added.
Mr Ring said the model of developing housing estates for rental has been effectively banned through what he describes as “prohibitive” stamp duty on these transactions.
“The question therefore arises, what is the plan for delivering private rented stock across the country,” he asks.
On Government targets to build 250,000 homes, he said that it would be very hard, but is achievable with the right plan, and that the Government needs to make sure there is enough stretch capability to achieve those goals.
