What does the property market look like for 2020?
Good Cop Bad Cop
We have spoken many times in the past couple of years about the difficulties facing prospective home buyers in the current market. Between the rising cost of living and the increasing rental costs limiting the ease of saving the required deposit and the ever-growing cost of properties themselves it has become incredibly difficult to gain a foothold on the property ladder. There is mixed news on this front to herald us into a new decade which leaves a level of uncertainty about what we can expect going forward.
On a positive note it has been reported this week that the construction sector has seen a much-needed boost and has begun growing again for the first time since August 2019. The Ulster Bank Purchasing Managers Index suggests that this growth forecasts a strengthening of the housing construction sector which may hopefully see more supply rise to meet demand. This also extends towards the commercial construction sector which has also reported growth and will be good news for companies looking to Ireland as a new base ahead of Brexit.
The reason for this newfound growth is cited as being a reduced level of Brexit uncertainty. The uncertainty around Brexit has plagued Irish business life for a while now and the easing of this panic is a welcome change across all sectors and reflects a new expectation of continued success in 2020.
This lessening of Brexit panic also has some negative consequences as it has been reported that there is an expectation that despite a new revival of the construction sector, we may see housing prices rise once again in the year ahead. Property price increases had begun to slow significantly towards the end of last year due in large part to Brexit concerns so this will be unwelcome news for any hopefuls currently saving hard. Davy Stockbrokers reports that subsiding Brexit fears may see a higher level of spending on high-end properties. They have stated that average house prices rise by 2% this year with the possibility of further rises “if the top end of the market benefits from reduced Brexit uncertainty.” Davy Stockbrokers also support the suggestion that the construction sector will continue to grow in the year ahead. It is suggested that the increase in time before Brexit becomes reality may be the reason for this lessening of anxiety.
A little bit of good news vs bad news to balance out the beginning of the new decade!
Should you require any guidance or advice on any business or financial matters, please don’t hesitate to contact us here at EcovisDCA, where we are looking forward to helping your business flourish in the roaring 20s.
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~ DCA PARTNERS, DECLAN DOLAN & EAMONN GARVEY
