Markets

Ellie Donnelly’s Stock Take: Bad news for home buyers as material costs continue to rise

With no sign of material prices falling, the cost of housing in this country will remain high and continue to climb

Construction inflation continues to drive up the cost of delivering new homes

Michael Stanley, the chief executive of Cairn Homes, had plenty of good news for his shareholders last week.

Speaking at the company’s AGM, Stanley said he expected Cairn Homes to deliver full-year sales of more than €650 million in 2023 having closed deals on almost 1,800 new homes, while profit margins will be maintained.

But Stanley had very little positive news for would-be house buyers. Despite delivering a strong pipeline of new homes, Ireland’s largest ...