NEARLY €89 million worth of houses across Limerick city and county have been sold to date this year, the most recent figures from the Property Price Register reveal.

Overall this year, 754 properties have sold, not inclusive of December, in comparison to 831 for all of 2012, 728 for 2011, and 752 in 2010.

Last month, one of the most expensive houses to sell in Limerick was Richvale on the North Circular Road for €512,500, followed by Rahina in Clarina for €398,000, and Number 65 The Village in Adare Manor, which sold for €365,638.

Richvale was earlier listed in the national register of all house sales as selling for €172,000 in November 2011, and has since nearly trebled in price.

Auctioneer Des O’Malley, of Sherry Fitzgerald O’Malley, said there is no doubt that the property market locally is improving, but certainly not to the same extent as house sales in the capital.

Mr O’Malley handled the sale of Cragfield on the North Circular Road, which sold for €1m, but said regretfully very few of these good quality homes are coming to the market, in spite of the demand for them.

One of the cheapest properties to sell this year was No 16 Hyde Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, in October, the former stronghold of the McCarthy Dundon gang, many of whom are now serving long prison sentences. It sold for a mere €7,000.

The sales of just two houses have been registered to date for December.

Just four properties in Limerick are currently listed with the property website Daft.ie with a guide price in excess of €1m.

In a sign of the times, 155 properties across Limerick are priced at €50,000 and below.

Some figures have been bolstered by the sales of numerous stud farms across Limerick, but value of the lands associated with the farms are not listed in the register.

SALES FOR 2013

January – €5,981,000 (57 houses)

February – €7,292,000 (42 houses)

March -€4,965,575 (51 houses)

April – €5,594,000 (69 houses)

May – €7,987,056 (72 houses)

June – €5,180,000 (66 houses)

July – €13,970,000 (94 houses)

August – €7,332,000 (91 houses)

September – €10,600,000 (62 houses)

October – €13,422,000 (97 houses)

November – €6,160,000 (51 houses)

Total: €88,844,000

See property review of the year on page 14 of Leader 2