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Quick Guide
Wherever you are buying your first home, and whatever your budget, there are several steps that you need to take.

Step 1 Find out the basics
General information on buying a home in Ireland is available online from www.citizensinformation.ie, which is an information website provided by the Irish Government.
www.moving.ie is a website aimed at those buying, selling or moving home. Step 2 Finding the money

Independent advice on mortgages is available from www.ifsra.ie, the website of the Irish Financial Services Regulator.
For detailed information on what is on offer from individual financial institutions, check out the following websites.

Banks:
  • www.boi.ie Bank of Ireland -click on Personal Banking to get mortgageapproval in principal online.
  • www.permanenttsb.ie Permanent TSB Bank -look under Mortgages andMortgage Information to download a First Time Buyer’s Guide.
  • www.aib.ie Allied Irish Banks -has a range of First Time Buyer’s Guides, forexample ‘The Role of the Solicitor’ and ‘House Viewing Tips’.
  • www.ulsterbank.com Click on Personal Banking under the Republic ofIreland section.
  • www.bankofscotland.ie Website of the Irish section of Bank of Scotland.
  • www.nib.ie National Irish Bank.
Building Societies
  • www.ebs.ie Educational Building Society. Click on Loan Centre for information on products and services. A Home Buyer’s Guide written in plain English is available to download.
  • www.mortgagestore.ie The ICS Building Society -very interactive site with arange of products and services.
  • www.firstactive.ie First Active Building Society. Click on Mortgages & Refinance’ and then ‘First Time Buyers.’
Mortgage Intermediaries/Brokers:
Websites that offer a range of products.
  • www.irishmortgages.ie Currently aimed at professional brokers -includes a‘real-time’ support chat service.
  • www.mortgages.ie Organised in an easy to use ‘question and answer’ format.
Local Authorities:
Details on home loans provided by local authorities are available on the websites of the individual county councils. For a full listing of local authority websites go directly to the Department of the Environment at www.environ.ie

Tip: Check out the County Development Plan on your local authority website for information on future developments near where you want to buy.
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