Year in review: Property market rebounds despite pandemic constraints

Owen Reilly assesses a year of seller’s markets, affluent families buying second homes, some price stabilisation, and landlords leaving the market

Estate agent Owen Reilly: The welcome return of in-house viewings in April led to the unleashing of pent-up demand. Picture: Fergal Phillips

The year 2021 started with Dublin in a level 5 lockdown and a restriction on property viewings. Given this, market activity was a fraction of normal levels and our transactions were 40 per cent lower year on year.

We saw a pick-up in activity in March when it became obvious lockdown measures were to be extended from a cohort of buyers who simply had to buy and who had agreed sales without physically visiting the ...