Prices held steady in Leitrim in 2017. With an average of €4,586/ac, Leitrim land is yet again the least expensive in the country. Prices have increased ever so slightly from 2016, rising from €4,560/ac, representing a marginal jump of less than 1%.

For the second year in a row, supply has increased in the county, with 1,337 acres offered compared with 1,188 acres the previous year. The number of individual farms offered also rose, with 38 farms coming to the market, six more than the year before.

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There was a higher proportion of auctions in the county last year, but with just three of the seven auctions selling under the hammer, the auction room proved difficult.

The typical trends that the Land Report has seen in Leitrim over the last number of years has continued. Again, a high majority (68%) of holdings offered were under 40 acres, while 81% of sales complete were for holdings under 40 acres.

Prices included 39 acres in Faughary, which sold under the hammer at €165,000 or €4,286/ac; a 40.6ac parcel near Manorhamilton sold for €135,000 or €3,325/ac, while 14 acres of land with forestry approval near Dromahair went at auction for €50,000 or €3,650/ac.

In general terms, prices and demand have remained steady in the county for 2017.

Forestry

From speaking with auctioneers, there is a definite lack of confidence in the market from the farming community. Forestry is certainly making an impact, with prices between €3,000/ac and €5,000/ac for marginal ground evidently appealing to farmers. There is a definite presence of investment funds and individual investors in the market. Forestry may be controversial in the county, but it is evident that it is keeping a floor under the average price of land.

Vital statistics

  • *Average: €4,586/acre
  • Land offered: 1,337 acres
  • Price range/acre: €1,164 to €8,667
  • No of farms offered: 38
  • Biggest farm offered: 146 acres
  • Weighted average: €3,765/acre
  • *Based on 16 transactions

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