The Last Word with Matt Cooper How is 'Opaque Bidding' Contributing to the Housing Crisis?
Dec 8, 2025
Marion Finnegan, Chief Executive of Sherry FitzGerald, discusses how the rising housing prices in Ireland are outpacing average incomes, especially for first-time buyers. She highlights severe shortages in the second-hand market that drive up prices and notes a concerning shift favoring couples over single buyers. Jude Sherry, a founder focused on renovation, explores the potential of vacant and derelict homes as a solution, advocating for vacancy taxes and stricter policies to bring these properties back into use.
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Couples Need High Incomes To Buy
- Ireland's typical first-time buyer couple needs around €95,000 combined income to buy a new home in most regions.
- Marion Finnegan highlights Dublin needs about €106,000 while border areas need about €73,000, showing wide regional gaps.
Severe Shortage In Second-Hand Market
- Second-hand housing supply has tightened dramatically, falling from about 23,000 homes in 2019 to roughly 14,000 this summer.
- Marion Finnegan links tight stock and strong demand directly to continued house price inflation and affordability pain.
Blocked Moves Fuel Supply Crunch
- Many homeowners won't list because they can't find a suitable purchase, creating a self-reinforcing supply squeeze.
- Marion Finnegan says only a fraction of new builds enter the private sale market, worsening the stock shortage.