The time taken to sell the average house in Kerry has fallen by four weeks in the past quarter, a national property survey has found.

The REA Average House Price Survey found that the average time taken to sell across the county fell over the past three months from 11 weeks to seven.

As people move away from urban hubs and incorporate new working from home lifestyles, the price of the average three-bed semi-detached house in the county rose 1.1% this quarter to €226,000.

Killarney prices rose 1.9% this quarter to €270,000, and time taken to sell fell by a fortnight to eight weeks.

“There has been excellent demand for good quality detached houses in the Killarney area,” said Donal Culloty of REA Coyne and Culloty, Killarney.

“We continue to see couples moving back to the area from London, Dublin and Cork, and there is also a better demand on rentals as single people are not renting in cities and have moved home to live.”

Prices in Tralee rose 7.1% over the past 12 months and were unchanged this quarter at €182,000. Time taken to sell in Tralee fell by six weeks this quarter from 11 weeks to five.

“The market is strong in Tralee but there is lack of supply, and anything that comes on the market sells immediately,” said Eddie Barrett of REA North*s, Tralee.

“Stock levels are at a low level due to Covid-19, and sellers are not very eager as they do not want people coming into their house.

“It is actually a great time to sell, as there are so many buyers on the market, and online auctions are proving successful for our area: we have a 100% success rate over a two-year period.

“There is demand for large, good quality country homes. Tralee is based by the sea and is a perfect location for people working from home.”

The REA Average House Price Survey concentrates on the actual sale price of Ireland's typical stock home, the three-bed semi, giving an accurate picture of the second-hand property market in towns and cities countrywide.

The average three bed semi nationally is now reaching sale agreed after seven weeks across the country – a significant fall from the ten-week average in June.

Despite fears of a downturn in the market during the Covid-19 crisis, the price of a three-bedroomed semi-detached house across the country rose by 0.6% over the past three months to €236,046, an annual increase of 0.4%.

Reflecting the beginnings of a flight to rural locations, prices in the rest of the country’s towns rose by almost 1% in 12 weeks to €163,345.