Ireland's Vacant Homes: A Rural-Urban Divide

0:00That's your update from year of news today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. A new report from Ireland's Central Statistics Office reveals that 3% of homes sat vacant in 2024. That adds up to about 70,000 houses nationwide. They measure vacancy by looking at low or no long term electricity use. Vacancy rates dip to just 1% in cities, but hit 10% in some rural spots. Meanwhile, building trends have shifted big time over the past decade. Back in 2015, nearly half of new homes were standalone houses, with apartments making up only 9%. Fast forward to 2025, and half are now in residential schemes, plus a third are apartments. Buyers in 2024 were mostly couples, accounting for 60% of purchases. The resplit evenly between single men and women, with the average buyer age at 40. Some material costs have climbed steadily for 5 years, now 37% higher than in February

1:002021. House prices followed suit, up 38% in Dublin over 4 years, and 7% nationally in 2025. Top prices hit 680,000 euros in Dunlalfeir Rathdown last December, while Donnegaugh averaged 195,000 euros. These numbers paint a picture of tighter urban housing and pricier builds, pushing more people towards shared developments across the country.