DUBLIN, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Home prices in Ireland edged up by nearly 1 percent in March compared with the same month last year, said the country's Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Thursday.
In Dublin, home prices inched up by 0.6 percent year-on-year, said the CSO in a statement, adding that house prices and apartment prices in the capital city went up by 0.7 percent and 1.5 percent respectively over a year ago.
The CSO figures showed that home prices in Ireland had increased by 83.1 percent when compared with early 2013 when the country's residential property market crashed to its lowest point following the international financial crisis whereas home prices in Dublin had increased by nearly 93 percent from their low in February 2012.
Nevertheless, the average home prices in Ireland are still nearly 18 percent lower than their highest level in 2007 while Dublin home prices are about 22 percent lower than their February 2007 peak, according to the CSO figures.
Property dealers believe that home prices both in Ireland and Dublin could fall into a negative territory in April as nearly all the businesses in the country were brought to a standstill throughout the month due to the lockdown measures announced by the Irish government to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Enditem
