The median house price in Louth now stands at €375,000.
A Louth councillor has raised concerns that people in the county will be left “in debt for the rest of their lives” during a discussion about house prices.
Cllr Minogue, who is also the Cathaoirleach of the Ardee Municipal District said there is a cohort of people who cannot afford to buy a home but earn too much to go on the local authority’s housing list.
The Fine Gael councillor said some people are earning too much for a council house but “but can’t afford for a bank to even look at them to get a mortgage”.
It was revealed that the median house for in Louth is now at €375,000 according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Cllr Minogue said there has seen houses listed for as high as €405,000 in Mid-Louth.
“I absolutely feel for the people that cannot get on the housing list, they’ll never own their own home or they’ll be in debt for the rest of their lives with a big mortgages for small houses.
It’s very hard when people come to me as a councillor looking for help, we can do nothing,” she said.
Sinn Féin councillor for Dundalk Kevin Meenan also raised concerns with the price of rental accommodation in Louth.
He said people are searching for homes to rent but are facing costs of €2,000 per month.
Cllr Meenan said some of these houses aren’t worth “even half of that”.
“Some of the properties are a joke. It’s beyond ridiculous,” he said.
Ger Murphy, Director of Housing and Cultural Delivery with Louth County Council said the country is facing a “very challenging time with housing”.
He said rents are “quite high” and that people are finding it difficult to find suitable accommodation.
However, Mr Murphy said the local authority will be planning ahead for its new housing delivery action plan.
“We’re looking at rolling out more affordable housing purchase schemes. We’ll be working closely with AHBs to deliver more cost rental schemes,” he said.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.