Despite the signs that the world around it is changing rapidly, real estate in Ireland has evolved little: the practices used, and property developed and traded, have ebbed and flowed, but essentially remained the same for many years. But as events and practices further afield have an increasing capacity to influence activities in Irish real estate, it becomes more important that those involved in real estate both understand and prepare for these imminent changes. The future will not simply be an extrapolation of the past. Change in the world in consistent, but the speed of change is not, and the key to survival is preparation for new challenges, markets and practices. This paper looks at the future of real estate in Ireland grouped, for convenience, under the headings of: governance; environment; society; demography; economics; and technology. It will describe forthcoming changes in real estate practice, markets and people, and comment on the need to understand and prepare for these new challenges.