Galway Bay fm newsroom - There's been a significant slow down in the rate of property price inflation across Galway.
While the cost of a home is still rising, inflation in the final quarter stands at just 1.5 percent on average - compared to around 4 percent in the third quarter.
The average price for a 3-bed semi across Ireland rose by over 11 percent over the past 12 months and now stands at 225 thousand euro.
It's a significant increase on the rate of 8 percent recorded for 2016.
However, there's been a significant slow down in the rate of inflation recorded in the final quarter of the year.
The average price for a 3-bed semi in Galway has risen by just 2.1 percent between September and December - and now stands at 148 thousand euro.
The slow down was more pronounced in the city - where a 3-bed semi rose by just 1 percent during the same period to 258 thousand euro.
According to the Irish Independent, possible reasons for the slowdown in the final quarter include availability of new homes, aspiring buyers hitting affordability limits and banks 'front-loading' their quotas of exemptions to normal lending rules.
