Increase in singles buying own home

SINGLE people from Cork are at the front of the queue when it comes to buying their own home, according to new research by mortgage broker IFG Mortgages.

The company said yesterday that Cork was the number one location in Ireland for single first-time buyers, who accounted for 56% of all first-time buyer mortgage applications in the area. This compared with just 39% of all first-time buyers in north Dublin.

IFG Mortgages head of sales Shane Connole said the difference was down to higher house prices in Dublin and that higher salaries in the capital failed to offset the difference in prices.