Property prices to jump by 7% this year - surveyers

Property prices are forecast to rise by an average of 7% across the country this year.

The Society of Chartered Surveyors is predicting the biggest increases in the Leinster region, outside of Dublin.

The price of a three-bed semi there is expected to rise by about 9.5% in 2017.

The society is concerned about the continued low level of house construction.

Spokesperson Ronan O'Hara said the Government needed to intervene further in the housing market and "maybe reduce the VAT on new homes...and try to help couples stuck in negative equity to be freed up. It's all about transactions and houses changing hands."