More first-time buyers getting a start

Trish Dromey says there has been an increase in the number of first-time buyers purchasing homes in 2017.

ESTATE agents are reporting an increase in first-time buyer activity during 2017 and so too is the Banking & Payments Federation of Ireland.

During the first nine months of 2017 first-time buyers borrowed €2,448 million to buy 12,157 homes — quite a significant increase up on the €1,788m they borrowed to buy 9,848 properties in the same period in 2016.