“Meath’s Market Is Flying”: A Conversation with Christopher Clare on Greater Dublin Property Trends in 2025

As the Greater Dublin Area continues to navigate a complex housing landscape, Meath is emerging as a standout performer in the commuter belt. I sat down with Christopher Clare, Managing Director of Reynolds & Clare Estate Agents in Navan, to discuss where the market stands mid-2025—and where it's headed.

Aoife McCarthy: Christopher, let’s start with the big picture. How would you describe the performance of the Greater Dublin Area over the past year?

Christopher Clare: The market across the GDA—including Meath—has remained impressively resilient. Despite higher interest rates and affordability challenges, both Dublin and the surrounding counties have seen price growth driven by a fundamental imbalance between demand and supply.

Dublin prices, according to the latest CSO data, are up 7.7% year-on-year to February 2025. But what’s more notable is the stronger growth outside the capital—particularly in counties like Meath and Kildare. The Mid-East region, which includes Meath, recorded an average price increase of around 5.8%, and we’ve personally seen some local segments rise by closer to 8.5%.

Aoife: What’s keeping Meath so competitive, even as affordability gets tighter in Dublin?

Christopher: A few things. First, Meath has become increasingly attractive to Dublin-based buyers who are priced out of the city but still want relative proximity. The population grew by more than 13% from 2016 to 2022—that's one of the fastest growth rates nationally.

Ashbourne, Navan, and Dunshaughlin are now thriving commuter hubs. Ashbourne alone has tripled in size since the mid-90s. Buyers love the value for money, access to green space, and growing local amenities. The demand we’re seeing isn’t just from first-time buyers—it includes movers seeking better quality of life, and even investors seeing value relative to Dublin yields.

Aoife: Let’s talk supply. Are we any closer to balancing the scales?

Christopher: Sadly, not meaningfully. The SCSI and Daft both continue to report critical undersupply. Nationally, we’re short anywhere from 160,000 to 230,000 homes. And while there's a slight uptick in new-build activity—supported by government initiatives and revised rent pressure rules—the pace is nowhere near enough.

In Meath, while we are seeing more sites being opened up and some investor-led developments re-entering the pipeline, planning delays and infrastructure constraints are still significant obstacles.

Aoife: Given all that, what’s your outlook for the rest of 2025 and into 2026?

Christopher: We expect continued moderate price growth in Meath—somewhere between 5–8% over the next 12 months. There’s simply too much pent-up demand, especially for 3- and 4-bed family homes, to see prices flatline.

However, we do anticipate more subdued price momentum in the higher end of the market, especially in Dublin, where buyer fatigue and tighter lending criteria are kicking in. Central Bank restrictions and higher interest rates are capping affordability.

On the rental side, conditions remain incredibly tight. National rents continue to hover around the €2,000 mark monthly, with commuter towns like Ashbourne and Navan following closely. Recent reforms which come into effect from March 2026 will likely lead to a further exodus of Landlords, ensuring upward pressure on rents will persist.

Aoife: For those looking to build or invest—what are your key recommendations?

Christopher:

1. Prioritise infrastructure. Meath needs continued investment in roads, public transport, broadband, and schools to keep up with its growing population.
2. Cut red tape. Planning bottlenecks remain the biggest hurdle to unlocking development potential.
3. Support rental investment carefully. The rent pressure zone reforms for new tenancies are a step in the wrong direction— we need to ensure that long-term landlords aren’t discouraged by regulatory uncertainty and remain in the market.

Aoife: Final question—are there any risks or headwinds you're keeping an eye on?

Christopher: Absolutely. Interest rates, inflation, and any abrupt policy shifts from the Central Bank or Department of Housing could spook the market. Also, affordability is becoming a serious pinchpoint, particularly for younger buyers.

That said, Meath sits in a very strongposition: strategically located, structurally undersupplied, and increasinglyself-sustaining as a residential and commercial hub. With steady planningreform and infrastructural support, I believe the region is poised forcontinued, sustainable growth.

Aoife McCarthy is a property economist and housing market analyst based in Dublin.

‍