However, prices in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Wicklow have fallen.

House-hunting is a curious blend of agony and ecstasy. Some of us find the myriad of box-ticking extremely stressful — but then again who doesn’t love a good excuse to pore over the property pages, lust after those must-haves in glossy interiors spreads and oh-so-casually stop by auctioneer’s windows during our evening stroll?

Despite the many issues in the housing market, the number of mortgages being approved is rising, with first-time buyers making up the bulk