The price of the average second-hand three-bed semi in County Wexford has risen by 3.2% to €243,000 in the last three months, according to a national survey by Real Estate Alliance.

And the survey has shown that 32% of sales in the county are to first-time buyers, with 30% of all purchasers coming from outside the area.

Across the county, the average time taken to sell is three weeks, the Q2 REA Average House Price Index has shown.

In Wexford town, prices rose by €10,000 to €225,000, an increase of 4.7%. 30% of the purchasers were first-time buyers, and 35% of buyers came from outside of the county.

Prices in Gorey rose by €10,000 to €260,000, an increase of 4%, with 35% of sales to first-time buyers and 25% of buyers from outside the county.

“The property market throughout Wexford has continued to perform very strongly in 2022,” said Winston Halnon of REA Halnon McKenna.

“Properties are few and far between, with the continued stock levels remaining very low.

“The trend of people being able to work from home is generating interest from buyers from within the county and further afield, however the lack of rental properties throughout the county is very concerning as many landlords continue to sell up.

“We expect the market to continue to perform strongly throughout 2022 as there is no sign of an increase in stock levels in the short to medium term.”

The REA Average House Price Survey concentrates on the actual sale price of Ireland's typical stock home, the three-bed semi, giving an accurate picture of the second-hand property market in towns and cities countrywide.

A marked increase in private landlords selling their properties nationally has increased supply levels and tempered price rises in some areas.

Up to 30% of houses for sale in some areas of Dublin are now due to landlords selling their additional properties, with knock-on effects for the rental market, the survey has found.

Actual selling prices in Dublin postcode districts have risen by 2.5% in the past three months, to an average of €493,333 – but the annual rate of increase has dropped two percentage points to 8% on the previous survey.

The price of a three-bedroomed semi-detached house across the country rose by 2.9% over the past three months to €286,611 – representing an annual increase of 13%.

58% of all purchasers in the past quarter were first-time buyers according to REA, a figure which rose to 78% in Dublin as people with mortgage approval scramble to get on the housing ladder.

The highest segment increase in Q2 was in cities outside the capital, which saw a 3.3% rise to an average selling price of €298,750.

Commuter counties saw prices increase by 2.3% – a jump of €6,833 to €311,833.

In the rest of the country, where prices rose 3.2% to €202,897, the survey found that one in every three buyers were from outside the county, with 50% first-time purchasers, as new working conditions enable a rethink on home bases.