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Independent Irish homebuyer resource
The Step-by-Step Guide to Buying Your First Home in Ireland.
Buying your first home in Ireland means piecing it together yourself. The deposit rules are on one website, Help to Buy on another, and nobody explains what actually happens between sale agreed and getting the keys.
This guide puts the whole process in one place, in the order it happens.
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Trustscore 4.3 | 8 reviews“Best value one could spend as a first-time buyer.”
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Answer eight quick questions to benchmark your savings, mortgage readiness and understanding of the conveyancing process.
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Inside the €49 guide
The practical details nobody explains together.
A calm, step-by-step companion from your first savings target to the day you collect the keys.
HTB & First Home Scheme
Plain-English eligibility checks, trade-offs and practical next steps.
Hidden costs checklist
Budget for stamp duty, legal fees, valuation, survey and the move itself.
AIP to loan offer
A paperwork survival guide for statements, documents and lender questions.
Viewing & structural traps
Know what to notice, what to ask and when a survey really matters.
The bidding game
Set your ceiling, stay composed and avoid the pressure of chasing.
Closing & keys timeline
Follow the final legal steps from sale agreed to collecting the keys.
Useful checklists & calculators
Practical worksheets for budgets, viewings, documents, bidding and closing.
All in one file, for €49. Less than the cost of one missed survey problem on a €420,000 purchase. The easiest decision of your first-time buyer journey.
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Plan the numbers
How long will it take to reach your deposit target?
Adjust the figures to see your 10% minimum deposit and savings runway.
€250,000€750,000
€0€100,000
€250€5,000
Adds support equal to 10% of the home price, capped at €30,000. Illustrative only. Eligibility and amounts vary.
Your projection
10% deposit
€38,000
Still to save
€16,000
Estimated time to target
14 months
Around January 2028
Savings milestones
6 months€29,20077% of target
12 months€36,40096% of target
24 months€50,800100% of target
Important: This calculator is illustrative and is not financial advice or an eligibility assessment. It excludes interest, price changes, purchase costs and lender-specific criteria. Verify current rules with official sources and a regulated adviser.
Who it’s for
This guide is for you if…
It covers the full journey, from your first savings target through affordability, government schemes, mortgage approval, viewings, bidding, surveys, legal work and closing, to the day you collect the keys.
You’re buying your first home in Ireland and don’t know where to start
You’re saving towards a deposit and want to know what you’re actually aiming for
You’re mortgage-approved and about to start viewing and bidding
You’re sale agreed and want to understand surveys, solicitors and closing costs
It’s not for you if you’re a second-time buyer, buying an investment property, or purchasing outside the Republic of Ireland.
Why this exists
Why this guide exists.
The information first-time buyers need in Ireland is scattered across lender sites, government pages, forums and word of mouth. All of it accurate in isolation, none of it in the order you need it. This guide pulls it together into one clear path through the process.
It’s independent. We don’t sell mortgages, take commission from lenders or brokers, and have no stake in where you buy or who you borrow from.
What it is
A practical, plain-English walkthrough of the Irish buying process, with checklists and worksheets for each stage. Researched and fact-checked against official Irish sources: Revenue, Citizens Information, the Central Bank of Ireland, the CCPC, the First Home Scheme, the Local Authority Home Loan, the CSO and BPFI, and current as of October 2026.
What it isn’t
Financial, legal or mortgage advice. Lending criteria, schemes and tax rules change, and your own circumstances matter. Always confirm your position with a regulated adviser, lender or solicitor before making decisions.
Good to know
Your questions, answered.
The guide was written by Eoin, an Irish first-time buyer who pulled together everything he wished he had known in one place. Read more about Eoin.
THE EASIEST DECISION ON YOUR BUYER JOURNEY
€49, once. Less than the cost of one missed survey problem, a single damp or roof issue that can run into thousands.
50-page PDF, downloaded straight after payment. If anything is wrong with your download we will fix it or refund you.