Problems of the Irish Housing Market

The Irish housing market has faced a drastic increase in price of homes over the last 30 years. Of course inflation has contributed to the increase of the cost of homes, but inflation cannot nearly explain the massive jump in prices of Irish homes. More specifically, costs of housing has jumped more than five times the cost of a home 30 years ago.

So what does explain the massive rise in costs of property prices? Could it be that increase in salaries contribute to the rise of price in homes? I know that the average income today is much higher than it was 30 years ago. However, the rate that average income has increased over the last few decades is nowhere near the amount that housing prices have increased.

The maximum mortgage loan a homebuyer can be granted is his or her average salary multiplied by 3.5. According to the Irish Mirror, the average take weekly income of an irish person is €734 per week. Multiply this by 52 and you have €38168 before taxes. Even income before tax …

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Today FM ‘Last Word’ speaks to Irish Mortgage Brokers, 27th April 2017

Matt Cooper had several guests in to discuss the new proposal for 800 sites owned by the government to be released in order to provide new housing.

There was  Jim Bainam from the Department of Housing, Karl Deeter from Irish Mortgage Brokers and Sinn Fein TD Eoin O’Brionn.

There were differences of opinion in terms of the ‘how’ regarding the sites, in terms of ‘how they are delivered’ via housing bodies, local authorities or privately, but all of the panellists were positive about a move to increase housing supply.

The main thing to remember in our view, is that it doesn’t really matter who builds what because the local authority remain the tax authority on all housing so they can get the housing with no capital outlay and then capture the property tax in future years if a private developer does it.

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