The number of first-time buyers (FTBs) approved for a mortgage has hit a record high. Around 30,000 new buyers got the green light from lenders to take on a mortgage in the year to August. It is the first time since the Banking and Payments Federation started compiling mortgage figures in 2011 that so many first-time buyers have been approved. It comes as the asking price for housing rose slightly this month when compared with

With grants of up to €96,000 available to renovate vacant properties, a derelict cottage could be transformed into a dream home. Here are nine of the best revival projects on the market. That tumble-down house in the middle of the lower field, where you played hide and seek as a child, could be your new home. Or maybe the old bungalow on the road from the village, covered in ivy and empty for the most

Rural dwellers expected to benefit from the extension, says Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien Self-builds have been brought under the umbrella of the First Home scheme. Photo: Romolo Tavani – Fotolia The state scheme that provides funding to help people to purchase their own homes is to be extended to those building their own homes. From this week, the First Home scheme is to be widened to include self-builders who are constructing their first home. The

Important Information Regarding Upcoming Affordable Housing Schemes *Update as of September 2023 Cork County Council will advertise, in due course, the respective Affordable Housing Schemes when they are set to become available. Schemes will be advertised publicly via the Council’s website, social media channels and via print media. Advertisements will direct interested parties to the appropriate website/online platform from where they will be able to access the respective documentation (application form, FAQs, eligibility criteria, income

July saw a 22pc rise in the number of new buyers borrowing compared with last year Last month, banks approved a total of 4,747 mortgages Rising numbers of first-time buyers are being approved for mortgages despite a sharp slowdown in the wider home-loan market. Latest figures from the banks show a 22pc rise in the number of new buyers getting the green light to borrow in July compared with last year. This is despite a

A total of 13,378 houses were sold between April and June. Photo: Aidan Crawley Buyers are being forced to pay more for homes despite a fall in transactions in the market over the last year. New figures based on the State’s Property Price Register show that the typical price of a home was up €28,000 in the second quarter of this year compared with the same period last year. The median, or typical, price is

Sort It: Regardless of the budget, there will always be areas that will need to be scaled back Making your home renovation dreams come true can be a challenge, especially when your budget doesn’t quite align with your wishes. We all have that wishlist of improvements we would love to make, but sometimes reality forces us to make compromises. We all feel we could do more if we had more money, but the truth is,

The ECB is to hike rates for the ninth time which will mean some mortgage customers will have to pay thousands of euro more a year. Photo: Alamy/PA Borrowers have been warned to brace themselves for a ninth rise in European Central Bank (ECB) rates. The latest imminent hike means 400,000 mortgage borrowers are exposed to a “ticking time bomb” of higher rates over the next two years. These are people on tracker rates, variables