Wexford: Second home market stirring again

Lynardan Courtown Road, Gorey, Co. Wexford. Sold for €460,000.

It was a year of two halves for Wexford. After quite a slow start early on, the market really picked up in the second half of the year.

There was a real improvement in all parts of the county, according to Ciara Slattery of Warren Estates, "Things are good but the market is unpredictable. It's not a blanket 'everything is wonderful'. Some of the more rural properties have been struggling a bit."

The last leg of the M11 finally opened in 2015 and definitely takes the headache out of a commute to Dublin, but with the lack of new developments over the past few years, good-quality family homes are short on supply.

And in a county to which so many head with buckets and spades, the market for second homes is stirring again, albeit from crashed prices. "The holiday home market has picked up again in the last two years albeit at much lower prices than the boom," says Slattery. "Anything with a sea view sells well."

  • Average Price: €175,000
  • Areas: Wexford Town, Gorey, Enniscorthy, New Ross, Bunclody, Carnew, Blackwater, Courtown
  • Up: + 8%
  • One Year Forecast: + 5%
  • Assessing Agent: Warren Estates

And for holiday homes, Ballymoney in north Wexford has always been the premier resort. "Over the last two years, all the houses have been sold in Ballymoney and now there is very little left for sale there," remarks Slattery. "There were a couple of really good prices achieved here towards the summer.

"There were properties that exceeded expectation and there were others that should have gone really well but ended up struggling a bit. Last year it took quite a while for the market to get going so I will be cautious and predict an increase of 5pc in 2016. Gorey and north Wexford just keep on improving so anything could happen."

Wexford

House Types 2015 2016 2017
3-BED SEMI IN TOWN €125,000 €140,000 €150,000
4-BED SEMI IN TOWN €125,000 €195,000 €150,000
4-bed Detached In Town €125,000 €210,000 €150,000
4-bed Detached Out Of Town €125,000 €285,000 €150,000
3-bed Bungalow In Town €125,000 €210,000 €150,000
3-bed Bungalow Outside Town €125,000 €165,000 €150,000
4-bed Bungalow In Town €125,000 €225,000 €150,000
4-bed Bungalow Outside Town €125,000 €175,000 €150,000
Detached 2000+ Sq Ft €125,000 €295,000 €150,000
One-bed Apartment €125,000 €65,000 €150,000
Two-bed Apartment €125,000 €95,000 €150,000
2up/2Down €125,000 €105,000 €150,000
3-bed Terrace €125,000 €110,000 €150,000
Ex-Corporation 3-bed €125,000 €115,000 €150,000
Ex-council 3-bed €125,000 €115,000 €150,000

Property Hotspot: Sandycove in Ballymoney

Development that a mix of high-quality holiday homes and permanent homes

How much is your House worth in 2016