ALMOST 40 per cent potential house buyers plan to purchase a property within the next year, according to a new survey.
The Daft.iepoll of just over 2,000 people online found that more than 12 per cent of those want to buy a place as soon as possible, while another quarter hope to find a new home in 12 months.
More than 2,000 people took part in the Daft.ieonline consumer attitudes survey.
More than 55 per cent were renting, a quarter lived in their own house with a mortgage, nearly 10 per cent lived with their parents, 7.4 per cent had no mortgage and 0.6 per cent were in social housing.
The majority were living in Dublin south (city and county) and wanted to buy in the same area.
But almost 64 per cent did not believe the drop in current house prices are good value for buyers in their region, and half thought prices will fall by another 5 to 15 per cent in the future.
Buyers believe mortgage availability, the recession and unemployment would be the three main factors affecting house prices in the coming year.
Kieran Harte, marketing director for Daft.ie, said the survey measures consumers' perceptions of the state of the property market both nationally and locally. "It also gives us an indication of people's intention to participate within the property market."
Almost half of those who took part were aged between 30 and 40 years and 67 per cent were either married or living together.
The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) said the survey was a very positive indication for the Irish housing market, particularly in the urban areas.
Hubert Fitzpatrick, CIF director of development for housing and planning services, said: “If we want to build on the positive attitude that is highlighted by this survey then we need the banks to open their mortgage business and allow people to buy.”