# first time buyers

Last year

2022

Taoiseach on who pays for the concrete levy: 'It's industry or the taxpayer. Make up your mind'

10% levy on concrete blocks aims to help fund mica redress scheme.

Confusion within FG over Taoiseach's comments on how to prevent first-time buyers alone from being impacted by the levy, reports Christina Finn

Backlash from backbench TDs who want tax exemptions or for levy to be delayed or scrapped.

Sinn Féin say they want a levy on the industry but not consumers.

39.7k

Updated

Oct 4th 2022, 5:22 PM

# first home

Government's €400 million shared equity scheme for first-time buyers now open for applications

The scheme aims to help people secure a home by providing part of the purchase price of the dwelling in return for a minority equity stake.

23.7k

Jul 7th 2022, 3:16 PM

# mortgage approvals

Almost €1.3 billion in mortgage approvals made last November, new figures show

First Time Buyers accounted for more than half of the €1.28 billion of mortgages which were approved last November.

6.7k

Jan 12th 2022, 6:00 AM

All time

# bpfi

Average deposit for first-time buyers exceeded €52,000 in first half of 2021

Mover-purchases had to pay €135,000 for a deposit in the same period.

27.8k

Dec 7th 2021, 6:30 AM

# first time buyers

Central Bank gives green light to shared equity scheme but warns it could increase house prices

The Central Bank has left its mortgage rules unchanged.

23.5k

Updated

Nov 25th 2021, 2:24 PM

Labour lights a fire under housing minister: 'Reintroduce your own Bill on cuckoo funds or we will'

Labour housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan said in a video this afternoon that she will re-introduce his Bill “word for word”.

35.6k

Updated

May 5th 2021, 8:11 PM

# cuckoo funds

Investment funds buying whole estates is 'undesirable' and the government needs to act, says Leo Varadkar

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien says a Bill he introduced in 2019 on the issue is “still valid”.

26.3k

May 5th 2021, 1:52 PM

# property ladder

'Relationship status should not define your ability to own a home, but it does'

Single people say trying to buy a home is even more difficult for them than for couples – and that’s saying something.

As difficult as buying a home can be for couples, single people face an even bigger challenge

Some people are 'priced out of 95% of houses in Dublin'

'The rampant greed of the Celtic Tiger cast a long and depressing shadow,' one buyer said

90.3k

102

Mar 28th 2021, 12:05 AM

# ftb

'We couldn't wait another year': Three couples who bought first homes in 2020 share their journeys

This year was anything but normal – so how did first-time buyers get on?

5.3k

Dec 15th 2020, 3:05 PM

Voices

Opinion: Our Central Bank mortgage lending rules are vital guards against booms and busts

Vasileios Madouros of the Central Bank says the 2015 lending regulations have helped us brace against the Covid-19 shock.

12.0k

Dec 8th 2020, 6:30 AM

Which house types will be popular with first-time buyers in the coming year?

New homes specialist Riona McCaughey gives her take on what will be popular in the market in 2021.

4.3k

Dec 7th 2020, 3:48 PM

# location location location

Which areas are popular with first-time buyers right now?

Buyers are increasingly looking in new areas, says Ivan Gaine of Sherry Fitzgerald.

4.8k

Nov 30th 2020, 10:11 AM

# ftb

Location, location, location: How to jump-start your home search by finding a place you love

Expert advice on narrowing your hunt to the area that’s right for you.

2.4k

Nov 19th 2020, 3:43 PM

# property ladder

First-time buyers made up most of the 12,000 mortgages drawn down in last quarter of 2019

The 12,259 mortgages are valued at €2.7 billion.

9.5k

Jan 29th 2020, 6:05 AM

# priced out

Increase in first-time buyers moving to Dublin commuter belt

One economist warned that this increased activity will put pressure on the infrastructural needs in these areas.

23.2k

Dec 5th 2019, 6:20 AM

# first time buyers

Central Bank keeps 10% minimum deposit rule for first time buyers for 2020

The Central Bank’s governor Gabriel Makhlouf said that the current rules are working.

19.7k

Dec 4th 2019, 2:39 PM

# property ladder

First-time buyers in Dublin are now spending an average of €375,000 for a home

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown in Dublin had the highest average house price for first-time buyers, costing €520,000.

16.3k

Nov 13th 2019, 6:15 AM

Will the help-to-buy scheme be extended or scrapped? Minister won't rule it in or out until Budget 2020

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said the scheme has played a ‘valuable role’.

17.0k

Jul 16th 2019, 10:36 PM

# first time buyers

Government planned to spend €200m on mortgage scheme in 3 years. It paid out €50m in just 3 months

New figures show that almost €50 million was paid out as part of the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan scheme in the first three months of this year.

26.0k

Jun 15th 2019, 12:05 AM

# Housing

'Cuckoo funds' shutting out first-time buyers and operating tax-free need urgent review, says FF

Corporate investors known as so-called ‘cuckoo funds’ have spent over €1.1 billion on nearly 3,000 residential properties in Ireland last year

20.3k

Apr 9th 2019, 3:29 PM

# first time buyers

Murphy insists funding for first-time-buyer loan scheme 'has not run out'

Concerns had been that funds for the government’s Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan Scheme have run out.

15.5k

Mar 6th 2019, 1:19 PM

# Housing

First-time-buyer loan scheme requires 'further tranche of funding' to continue

A first-time-buyer can apply for a home loan to purchase a new or second-hand property, or to build their own home under the scheme.

30.8k

Mar 4th 2019, 7:15 PM

Help-to-buy scheme has cost more than originally anticipated

Originally the scheme was estimated to cost the Exchequer €50m.

13.4k

Dec 29th 2017, 6:30 PM

# first time buyers

Over 500 home-buyers have got the maximum €20,000 Help-to-Buy relief

Around €62 million has been paid to developers under the scheme.

9.4k

Dec 23rd 2017, 6:15 AM

# buyer beware

7 costly mortgage mistakes to avoid as a first-time buyer

Finding your dream home is only the beginning, says financial advisor Karl Deeter.

3.5k

Oct 4th 2017, 11:01 AM

# Housing Crisis

Cost of new Dublin properties up €39,000 compared to last year

According to the MyHome.ie Q3 Property Report, increases will continue into 2018.

18.1k

Oct 2nd 2017, 6:10 AM

Voices

'We need the Help to Buy scheme. It boosts supply and helps first-time buyers purchase new homes'

The scheme is under review before the benefits of the scheme have had the time to come to fruition, writes Tom Parlon.

3.3k

Jul 14th 2017, 6:15 AM

# First-Timers

More than 120 people have already applied for the first-time buyer scheme which kicked in today

First-time buyers can apply for a tax rebate of up to €20,000 from today

43.9k

Jan 3rd 2017, 7:02 PM

# preview 2017

5 trends coming down the tracks in the 2017 property market

Economist Ronan Lyons gives us his take on what to expect.

58.4k

Dec 31st 2016, 11:00 AM

# Bernard Byrne

AIB says 14 people lost their homes because of high tracker mortgage rates

The first-time buyers grant and communication with customers in rural Ireland was also discussed in committee.

17.7k

Nov 24th 2016, 5:10 PM

# House Prices

Smaller deposits and help-to-buy scheme won't 'over-egg' property market - Governor

The Central Bank says that the market ‘isn’t at risk of overheating’.

11.3k

Nov 24th 2016, 6:10 AM

# first time buyers

It's taking up to a third of a working couple’s income to pay the mortgage on their first home

The least affordable area for first-time buyers is Dun Laoghaire Rathdown in Dublin, while the most affordable county is Roscommon.

12.9k

Nov 18th 2016, 6:01 AM

# property ladder

Coveney: Change to first-time-buyer scheme is 'sensible' but €600k threshold remains

The government has been forced to change one of its key budget proposals on foot of concerns raised by the Central Bank.

15.4k

Oct 20th 2016, 10:27 AM

# first time buyers

'It's fundamentally flawed': Sinn Féin hits out at revised first-time buyers scheme

Under new rules,first-time buyers will receive a grant if their mortgage is 70% of the value of their home.

13.0k

Oct 19th 2016, 9:53 PM

# going going gone

Buyers are snapping up new homes in the town once dubbed Ireland's first ghost town

The first phase of a 177 new home development in Adamstown was launched this weekend.

78.8k

Oct 17th 2016, 6:55 PM

# Budget 2017

Coveney says including second-hand homes in first-time buyers scheme would drive up prices

The housing minister says first-time buyers are ‘locked out’ of the market.

13.6k

Oct 13th 2016, 7:00 PM

# helping hand

First-time buyers will be getting a grant to help them get on the ladder

Housing Minister Simon Coveney says it will come in the form of a tax rebate.

32.3k

Sep 14th 2016, 8:59 AM

# Your Say

Poll: Should first-time buyers be allowed to use renting history in mortgage applications?

The Department of Finance thinks it’s a good idea.

28.8k

Sep 11th 2016, 9:59 AM

# Penny Pinching

Thinking about getting a mortgage? It could take you over six years to save for a deposit

New research shows first-time buyers will rely on a family contribution for a deposit.

23.9k

Sep 1st 2016, 1:47 PM

# Your Say

Poll: Should first-time buyers get a government grant?

Plans to tackle the housing crisis include a scheme to help first-time buyers.

29.6k

Jul 20th 2016, 8:53 AM