DATA collected by the Irish Independent shows that there is a critical shortage of rental properties in Tralee and that house prices will rise as new jobs come on stream in the county capital this year from the reopening of new hotels, resulting in increased demand.

According to the figures to be published in a ‘How Much Is Your House Worth’ magazine published in the paper tomorrow, house prices in Kerry have risen 11% in the past year and expected to grow a further 10% in 2015.

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It says the average house price in Kerry is €100,000 while housing stock is down 67%.

The data was collected by local valuation experts who conducted valuations of 35 different property types and forms part of the 64 page analysis of the Irish property market in Saturday’s Irish Independent.

It will also reveal that Dingle continues to fetch a premium over most other locations and the price of an average three bed in Kerry rose 14% in 2014.

The information is also to show 70% of sales are driven by banks and receivers who want to sell within a three month period while rural areas are not seeing the same improvement in prices.

Killarney is expected to experience a 10% rise in prices this year, slightly lower that the 11% in 2014. However, this is still 40% lower than 2006 levels. It also shows a shortage of four and five bedroom family homes.