By Lesley Walsh
HOUSE prices around the borough have climbed by more than half since Covid, marking the sharpest rise in Northern Ireland, tied only with the north west.
Figures show that sale prices around Ards and North Down shot up by 51% since the first quarter of 2020, just as the world entered the economic doldrums of the pandemic.
Transactions within the borough equalled those of Derry City and Strabane, outpacing every other region of Northern Ireland.
The level was 11% higher than sale levels in Belfast, and surpassed the national average for the United Kingdom by 27%.
Prices rose from an average of £147,963 in early 2020, to £222,919 at the end of last year, with the typical home now worth £74,956 more than it was six years ago.
The buoyant local market was illustrated in data analysed by the UK House Price Index and Department of Finance data, which compared Q1 2020 average house sales with Q4 2025 transactions.
According to the study by Smart Mortgage Insurance, the upward trajectory of the local housing stock has been driven primarily by the demand for coastal living – with the borough having the longest coastline in Northern Ireland.
It also attributed the findings to the borough’s proximity to Belfast for commuters, with a significant number of residents in the borough working in the Belfast area, noting ‘strong links into Belfast continue to pull in buyers looking for quality of life without losing connectivity’.
The study also cites what it describes as the ‘tight supply’ of housing stock which it noted had ‘remained limited to demand in many of the most popular areas’. It said that restricted supply drove prices up, ‘supporting stronger price competition’, with the typical home now worth £74,956 more than in 2020.
Local estate agent, Victoria Pinkerton expressed no surprise ‘to see Ards and North Down at the top of the table’.
“It’s consistently one of the most desirable places to live in Northern Ireland, and that demand underpins pricing. However, buyers are far more considered than they were a couple of years ago. Homes that are priced correctly and presented well are selling well.
“Headline figures only tell part of the story. There’s significant variation across different towns and price brackets, but overall the market here remains steady and resilient, supported by strong local demand and limited supply in key areas.”
With the average Northern Ireland average house prices increasing by 45% since 2020, and the UK average by just 27%, the survey shows Northern Ireland’s property market has grown 18 percentage points faster than the UK average over the same period.
In proportional terms, house price growth in Northern Ireland has been around 67% stronger than the UK overall, highlighting the scale of regional divergence in the post- pandemic housing market.
The data suggests Northern Ireland has not only recovered since 2020 but has outperformed much of the UK in percentage growth terms, narrowing historic pricing gaps and accelerating faster than many expected.
Mike Curran, housing market analyst at Smart Mortgage Insurance, has warned that current infrastructure pressures could have a significant impact on the market
“NI Water’s recent recommendation to refuse plans for 15,000 homes over wastewater capacity is a serious red flag. If housing development slows as a result, reduced supply will only add further upward pressure to house prices across Northern Ireland,” he warned.
Of that figure, 814 potential new homes in the borough are affected, due the area’s own sewerage network. Coming at a time of record homelessness across the Province, figures October 2024 to September 2025 show that only 508 new private and social housing homes were built in Ards and North Down.
