New research shows that a single first-time buyer now needs to earn a six-figure salary to buy a typical first home in three counties.
The research from Chill Insurance reveals that a single buyer now needs to earn €108,000 in Dublin, €101,250 in Wicklow and €100,238 in Kildare. Dublin was the only county in that group a year ago.
The research also found that in every one of the 26 counties, a single buyer earning the national median salary of €44,816 would fall short of the income required to buy a typical first home because house prices continue to increase faster than wages right across the country.
Chill said its research compared the median first-time buyer home price in each county, using the Central Statistics Office’s Residential Property Price Index, with median local incomes from CSO earnings data.
These figures were then assessed against the standard Central Bank lending rules, under which a buyer can borrow up to 90% of a home’s value and up to four times their gross income.
Chill said the gap is most severe in Dublin, where the median price for a first-time buyer home now stands at €480,000.
Five counties need salaries above €90,000 – Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Cork.
Under Central Bank rules a single applicant would need to earn €108,000 to qualify for a mortgage on that home – more than double Dublin’s median income of €49,224.
Five counties need salaries above €90,000 – Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Cork.
Even Longford, the most affordable county, requires a first-time buyer to earn €48,375 for a typical first home, Chill said.
Ian O’Reilly, Director of Sales and Operations at Chill Insurance, said that what we are seeing is that a single buyer on the local median income now falls short of what they need in every county, even in the most affordable parts of the country.
“For many first-time buyers, the route onto the ladder increasingly means saving a larger deposit, buying with another person or turning to State supports such as the First Home Scheme or the Local Authority Home Loan,” he added.
Economist Austin Hughes said that with Irish house prices continuing to increase faster than wages, first-time buyers are finding it increasingly difficult to find a property they can afford, not just in Dublin or major urban centres but right across the country.
“The Chill report emphasises the nationwide nature of the problem would-be homebuyers face. Even allowing for ongoing wage growth, in no county is the typical first-time buyer property accessible at present to the median wage-earner, unless they are in a position to get additional financial support from the State and/or their family,” the economist said.
“With would-be buyers in Dublin and surrounding counties now needing around twice the typical wage in those areas, and approaching that in Cork and Galway, this ‘purchase gap’ is growing and spreading in a worrisome manner,” he added.