The average price of a second-hand, three-bed semi in Co Carlow rose by 5% in the past year, according to the latest national survey by Real Estate Alliance.

The cost of average homes in the county remained at €212,500 during the first three months of 2023, the Q1 REA Average House Price Index shows.

By concentrating on the actual sale price of three-bed semis, the survey provides an up-to-date picture of the second-hand property market in towns and cities countrywide.

Across County Carlow, first-time buyers made up 60% of the market during Q1 with 25% of sales coming from buyers moving out of cities.

The average time taken to complete a sale in the county is now six weeks, one week longer than the last quarter, the survey shows.

In Carlow town, the average price for a three-bed semi remained static at €220,000, with time to sell this quarter also staying the same at six weeks.

“This quarter started quietly, with sales picking up later on – but good quality starter homes with a good BER rating are still selling well,” said Harry Sothern, REA Sothern, Carlow town.

The average price of a three-bed semi in Tullow also remained unchanged, at €205,000, with the time to sell rising by two weeks to six over the quarter.

“It has been a quiet start to the year, although new builds remain popular. Some of the older stock are taking longer to sell,” said Matthew Conry, REA Dawson, Tullow.

Across the rest of Ireland, the actual selling price of a three-bedroomed semi-detached rose by 0.6% over the past three months to €293,343 – representing an annual increase of 5.3%.

House prices in Dublin recovered after a pre-Christmas fall and rose by 0.5% to €498,333 in the past three months, slightly exceeding last September’s prices and showing an annual rise of 3.5%.

Mirroring the capital, cities outside Dublin experienced a 0.4% rise to an average selling price of €310,250.

The smallest percentage increases came in commuter counties where average prices went from €312,778 to €313,056 – a rise of just 0.1% on average over three months.

The country’s large towns saw the largest quarterly increase at 1%, with prices now averaging €211,776 and properties selling faster at an average of five weeks, than in cities or commuter areas.

Nationally, first-time purchasers make up 60% of the market, the quarterly survey has found.

The actual selling price of a three-bedroomed semi-detached house across the country rose by 0.6% over the past three months to €293,343 – representing an annual increase of 5.3%.