A recent survey has seen the price of Laois properties skyrocket to an all-time high, at a faster rate than its neighbouring counties.

The price of the average second-hand three-bed semi-detached property in Laois has risen by 5% to €315,000 in the last three months, according to the latest REA national survey.

Across the county, the average time taken to reach sale agreed was three weeks, the Q1 REA Average House Price Index shows.

“We are seeing that supply in the second-hand market is still an issue,” Seamus Browne of REA Seamus Browne, Portlaoise told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

Pictured: REA Average House Price Index

The survey shows that across the county, 90% of purchasers were first-time buyers, while a total of 20% of sales in the county this quarter were attributed to landlords leaving the market.

Additionally, the survey found A-rated BER properties in the county are commanding 25pc price increases in comparison to C-rated properties.

The REA Average House Price Index concentrates on the 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 actual selling price of a three-bed, semi-detached house across the country rose by 1.5% in the past three months to €364,747.

This represents a 7.67% annual rise, slowing gradually from the 9% increase registered six months ago.

With energy prices coming into focus, agents are reporting that there is a renewed focus on heating costs, with the A-rated v C-rated BER price premium rising to 13%, up from 10% at the end of December.

Actual selling prices in Dublin city rose by 1.6% in the last three months, with the average three-bed semi in the capital’s postcode areas now selling at €595,453, a 6.6%nnual rise.

The percentage of first-time buyers purchasing in Dublin has dropped from 50% to 39% in the past six months, with agents citing a wait-and-see policy from buyers around the changes in rental legislation.

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Selling prices in Ireland’s major cities outside Dublin rose by 1.2% to an average of €378,250 – a 6.5% annual increase, with homes selling in four weeks on average.

Homes in the country’s large towns rose by 2% this quarter and 9% annually to an average of €281,287, while prices in commuter counties rose by 1% to €377,185.