Laois property prices hold steady but US tarriffs raise risk

Asking prices for Laois properties have held steady in recent months, but the high prices and a record low supply and continued surge coupled with the uncertainty of US tarriffs has made the situation risky for buyers according to the Bank of Ireland Chief Economist.

The prices of residential properties in Laois have stayed flat during the past three months, according to the latest MyHome Property Price Report.
The report for Q1 2025, in association with Bank of Ireland, shows that the median asking price for a property in the county is still €215,000.

This means prices have risen by €5,000 compared with this time last year.

Asking prices for a 3-bed semi-detached house in the county remained the same over the quarter at €215,000.
This means that prices in the segment have risen by €5,000 compared to this time last year.

Meanwhile, the asking price for a 4-bed semi-detached house in Laois stayed steady over the quarter at €249,500. This price is up by €14,500 compared to this time last year.

There were just 106 properties for sale in Laois at the end of March 2025 – a decrease of 17% over the quarter.

The average time for a property to go sale agreed in the county after being placed up for sale now stands at over three and a half months.

MyHome map showing the annual price rise in Laois and all other counties since 2024.

Giving a national picture is the author of the report, Conall MacCoille, Chief Economist at Bank of Ireland.
He cites the risk of job losses by mortgage holders, due to the “US EU tariff war”.

“Record low supply and continued surging demand are still driving the property market, but the risk here is that Ireland’s relatively thin, illiquid housing market, reliant on those at the top of the income distribution could be exposed to a sudden negative economic shock, such as the risk of a US-EU tariff war, especially if it were to disproportionately hit employment in the high-paid multinational sector.”

He said, however, that in the absence of a trade war, all signs point to further growth in prices.

Meanwhile, Mr MacCoille warned of increasingly stretched affordability in the market.

“Through 2024 Ireland’s residential property price index rose by 8.7%, stretching affordability versus the 5.6% pay growth recorded over the same period.

“The average Irish residential property transaction of €404,000 was an eight-times multiple of average annual earnings of €51,000. This is the most stretched Irish house prices have become relative to income since 2009.”

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Joanne Geary is Managing Director of MyHome.

“As the threat of a trade war with the US looms, our reliance on certain sectors of the economy come into sharp focus.

“The housing market is vulnerable to any economic headwinds, so it is imperative that the Government limits the impact if at all possible while also continuing to ramp up housing supply,” Ms Geary said.