Report: 2017 was a year of two halves for house prices

It was a year of two halves for house prices in 2017 with a 9% surge in the first six months but almost no change in the second half.

In the Daft.ie report on the year, Ronan Lyons of Trinity College Dublin said the Central Bank’s mortgage rules had been pivotal.

“At the start of the year, the Central Bank relaxed its minimum deposit rules, in particular for wealthier first-time buyers. Whereas previously, any mortgage credit above €220,000 required a 20% deposit, from 2017 all first-time buyers required no more than a 10% deposit, no matter how large their mortgage.”