How can someone in their 30s afford a house - PLEASE READ MOD WARNING IN OP

upinsmoke · 13-02-2019 2:51pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Booze would be a large cost of mine too. I'm not gonna be getting tanked up on booze at home alone and head into the pub at midnight though. Fair play to you for saving that much.

Only point I'm trying to get across is that nearly everyone suffers saving for a mortgage and it's not easy.
Maybe two years of living somewhat frugal e.g going out once a month on the beer instead of every weekend. Basically social life, non essentials need to be sacrificed somewhat to get your deposit together.

Amirani · 13-02-2019 2:51pm

Yurt! wrote: »

Call me an idealist, but I think that a person earning double the median wage should be able to afford a mortgage within the m50. Perhaps it's 'the market' that's defective, and not the individuals working to better themselves (as is being implied by many on the thread).

Again - they can afford a mortgage. They can afford a mortgage for a 1 or 2 bedroom dwelling, not for a 4 person dwelling; which they don't need.

Why people persist with this notion that single income earners need to be able to afford a house in Dublin that's designed to accommodate 4 or more people I have no idea.

Yurt2 · 13-02-2019 2:54pm

Perhaps. But the current lending rules mean that a 70k earner (far above average never mind the median) isn't (or at least shouldn't according to the rules) get a 380k mortgage with a 10 or 20 percent deposit.

martingriff · 13-02-2019 2:55pm

Deleted User wrote: »

This has been covered over and over in this thread. There is a cost to living. Food, phone, car, fcuking weddings, the odd night out; take your pick.

I'm saying mortgage payments seem to be less than what I'm paying in rent. My rent is such a chunk that I can barely save. I've been trying to put away 1/5 of salary for a while now but it usually ends up being closer to 1/10.

Food: eat in, bring your lunch to work, shop around for your groceries
Car: depending on circumstances get cheaper car, walk, bus
Weddings: wear the same outfit twice give what you can as a gift. Sometimes say no or say only can go to x part
Odd night odd: have less, invite people around.

Know this will be harsh but loads had to do it but when saving you have to say no and cut to the bone.

Mortgage rules are there for a reason. It will be the biggest debt you will have and for a lot of years. Yes it's cheap now but what happens if interest rates go up, you lose your job or the worst you get I'll.

People are struggling now with houses they bought with repayment on or over what your paying in rent because these rules were not there. Unlike a renter they can't just looks for something cheaper

GreeBo · 13-02-2019 2:56pm

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Youre comparing a basic necessity of all human beings to a shuttle mission , well done.

And there is the problem laid bare for all to see.

Living in Dublin is not a necessity its a choice.

f@steddie · 13-02-2019 2:57pm

Yurt! wrote: »

Perhaps. But the current lending rules mean that a 70k earner (far above average never mind the median) isn't (or at least shouldn't according to the rules) get a 380k mortgage with a 10 or 20 percent deposit.

They could with a larger deposit.

GreeBo · 13-02-2019 2:58pm

klaaaz wrote: »

Perhaps you need to get onto your leader in FG about it, as the government is cheating everyone by keeping the property sale(and rent) prices high. It ain't welfare people cheating or causing the prices to be too high for someone on 70k to be priced out of it.

No, its demand.
You lower prices by lowering demand.

GreeBo · 13-02-2019 3:01pm

Bigmac1euro wrote: »

Hahahaha that is some comparison it’s actually hilarious.

Also well done on being on a multiple of the median wage. Hold you're head high and piss on everyone else’s backs while telling them it’s raining hahahahaha

Any chance of an answer on why you think you can link two unrelated subjects by simply adding they wood median?

You think it's hilarious when i do it with a shuttle but somehow logical when it's done with a house in Dublin?

Sleepy · 13-02-2019 3:03pm

It seems like those wanting to buy in their 30s have two options:

1) Be somewhat sensible throughout your 20's and save a percentage of your wages while living an ordinary life

or

2) Work your arse off and live like a pauper for a couple of years to scrape together the mortgage.

I took the latter option and it's not much craic tbh. Looking back, I could easily have put away 10% of every pay-cheque I've ever received without much hardship. Going out on the piss one night a week instead of 2 to 4 times would have more than covered the savings imo.

Cyrus · 13-02-2019 3:05pm

Yurt! wrote: »

Or the implication that our capital city should be reserved for those who can afford the runaway house and apartment prices / rents. Evreyone else can feck off to the commuter belt. There are unbeleivable social and economic implications to this kind of attitude, and quite frankly, I find it childish.

the implication that there should be houses for all in the most desirable part of the country is childish

Yurt2 · 13-02-2019 3:05pm

Amirani wrote: »

Again - they can afford a mortgage. They can afford a mortgage for a 1 or 2 bedroom dwelling, not for a 4 person dwelling; which they don't need.

Why people persist with this notion that single income earners need to be able to afford a house in Dublin that's designed to accommodate 4 or more people I have no idea.

There is fanny all appropriate and affordable one and two beds in the housing stock as well.

Yurt2 · 13-02-2019 3:07pm

Cyrus wrote: »

the implication that there should be houses for all in the most desirable part of the country is childish

Never said that. I'm making the case that they should (and could be if appropriate government intervention is made) be affordable to those earning a decent wage.

Any further revelations for us on the space shuttle program?

Idbatterim · 13-02-2019 3:07pm

eviltwin wrote: »

Making sacrifices to save for a deposit is not a new concept, it's always been that way. Most people I know who bought houses under 35 spent most of their 20's saving, we still lived our lives but modestly. That's how it has to be for most of us, we don't have rich parents or lotto wins to fall back on and we earn an average wage.

I had a two hour commute when I bought my house for nearly ten years, I had to buy where I could afford which was far away from work and my social circle....thats just how it is.

this kind of post makes me laugh! Didnt varadkar himself say, "saving and getting a mortgage for a house were never easy" I dont doubt that, but it was a hell of a lot easier than now, probably a multiple!

All of these posts saying, "I moved hours away" "I saved and got my own place" all well and good, was that when the banks were throwing out money like confetti? Were you able to take advantage of the overshoot on the way down. Well guess what? many couldnt! Did you manage to pay back virtually no mortgage during the recession and get away with staying in "your" home?

It is a totally different story now, so unless you have bought recently with the current rules and havent had a hand out from the bank of mum and dad, spare me the laughable comparisons!

f@steddie · 13-02-2019 3:07pm

Yurt! wrote: »

There is fanny all appropriate and affordable one and two beds in the housing stock as well.

OK then save for longer for the 380k house.

Yurt2 · 13-02-2019 3:09pm

f@steddie wrote: »

OK then save for longer for the 380k house.

We've found the answer. Someone call the housing ministry, they can take the rest of the week off. Someone on boards has cracked it.

Cyrus · 13-02-2019 3:09pm

Yurt! wrote: »

Never said that. I'm making the case that they should (and could be if appropriate government intervention is made) be affordable to those earning a decent wage.

Any further revelations for us on the space shuttle program?

who is defining decent?

and you have the wrong man on the space shuttle

myshirt · 13-02-2019 3:09pm

There are brand new 2 beds going in Miller's Glen Swords and they will only sell them to low income purchasers. No funds, investors, or middle income purchasers.

Amirani · 13-02-2019 3:10pm

Yurt! wrote: »

There is fanny all appropriate and affordable one and two beds in the housing stock as well.

There's lots of suitable 1 and 2 bed apartments available for less than €200k in Dublin. This should be what a single income earner on a modest salary should be aiming for.

Tar.Aldarion · 13-02-2019 3:11pm

f@steddie wrote: »

They could with a larger deposit.

They'd need a deposit of 145k and the other expenses involved on top of that.

Yurt2 · 13-02-2019 3:14pm

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

They'd need a deposit of 145k and the other expenses involved on top of that.

And, in the current climate, the 380k house won't stay at 380 while one is saving. Not unreasonable to think it would be at 450 or so in a couple of years.

Tar.Aldarion · 13-02-2019 3:15pm

Amirani wrote: »

There's lots of suitable 1 and 2 bed apartments available for less than €200k in Dublin. This should be what a single income earner on a modest salary should be aiming for.

Dunno, they may look ok on the surface but as somebody who has lived in a lot of these places I'd never want to buy one, the standard is shocking for apartments compared to other countries I've stayed in, it would be even worse at the lower end cheap apartments. Can well imagine moving in to a place that will fall apart.

f@steddie · 13-02-2019 3:15pm

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

They'd need a deposit of 145k and the other expenses involved on top of that.

Yes. Not going to save it overnight.

So either knuckle down or else accept somewhere smaller / further out.

Tar.Aldarion · 13-02-2019 3:17pm

Yurt! wrote: »

And, in the current climate, the 380k house won't stay at 380 while one is saving. Not unreasonable to think it would be at 450 or so in a couple of years.

Yep, honestly all people can do in that situation is save and hope for a crash, which is essentially hoping for hardship on another person. The alternative is low standard apartments with no storage to boot or living far away, even though I'd consider that a high salary. So if those people @70k start taking all these places, anybody else gets to live on the west coast :P

witchgirl26 · 13-02-2019 3:18pm

Eric Cartman wrote: »

This ‘move somewhere else’ ‘you chose to be in dublin’ argument is a bit flawed, how many fund accounting jobs are in cashel ?

Not sure about Cashel but when I was auditing fund accounting there was a massive operation in Wexford as I had to go down there a lot. Everyone there was on decent enough salaries (mid-recession) and well able to afford houses locally.

I know professional accountants living in many parts of the country - some professions are needed everywhere. Accountants and lawyers are just 2 I can think of off the top of my head.

Deleted User wrote: »

This has been covered over and over in this thread. There is a cost to living. Food, phone, car, fcuking weddings, the odd night out; take your pick.

I'm saying mortgage payments seem to be less than what I'm paying in rent. My rent is such a chunk that I can barely save. I've been trying to put away 1/5 of salary for a while now but it usually ends up being closer to 1/10.

And banks will take into account what you're paying in rent each month to calculate your ability to repay on a monthly basis which can lead to you getting a higher multiple of your salary based on history. However they can't magic up a deposit for you and that's the problem. 100% mortgages aren't the answer - hell they are half the reason we got into such a mess in the first place. Save your deposit and show that you can repay that amount and away you go.

Cost of living is fine and yep there are things however saving is something you have to do and put up with the pain if you want the gain at the end of a house.

Idbatterim wrote: »

this kind of post makes me laugh! Didnt varadkar himself say, "saving and getting a mortgage for a house were never easy" I dont doubt that, but it was a hell of a lot easier than now, probably a multiple!

All of these posts saying, "I moved hours away" "I saved and got my own place" all well and good, was that when the banks were throwing out money like confetti? Were you able to take advantage of the overshoot on the way down. Well guess what? many couldnt! Did you manage to pay back virtually no mortgage during the recession and get away with staying in "your" home?

It is a totally different story now, so unless you have bought recently with the current rules and havent had a hand out from the bank of mum and dad, spare me the laughable comparisons!

Eh no I didn't buy back then. Got no help from parents. Bought mid-last year after 3 years of saving hard. Wasn't living at home - renting a house and all the expense that came with that as well. Didn't move hours away either. Bank wasn't throwing money at me either - had to send a lot of paperwork and prove savings and effort and was saving right up to the last minute to afford the extras (like flooring) for the house. Was it tough - yes course it flippin was but hell I wanted a house so I had to put some flippin effort into getting it.

Cyrus · 13-02-2019 3:25pm

witchgirl26 wrote: »

Not sure about Cashel but when I was auditing fund accounting there was a massive operation in Wexford as I had to go down there a lot. Everyone there was on decent enough salaries (mid-recession) and well able to afford houses locally.

still there, also in kilkenny & drogheda

GreeBo · 13-02-2019 3:26pm

Yurt! wrote: »

There is fanny all appropriate and affordable one and two beds in the housing stock as well.

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/dublin/property-for-sale?maxprice=200000&maxbeds=2

216 = fanny all now?

Define appropriate other than "where I want to live in Dublin"?

uncommon_name · 13-02-2019 3:28pm

Save save save!!!!!! cut everything out that you can, it is the only way. Move in with parents for a few months if you can.
I bought my 1st house at 21, my partner was 23. Small bungalow that needed to be gutted and started all over again, great little project and had fun doing it.
Just bought my 2nd house at 24, new build 4 bed semi detached house.
I cut everything I could out for about 4 years and yes it was tough, but it was worth it

Plus be realistic on where you are looking to buy, i.e. Dublin and closely surrounding areas are out of the picture, don't be looking at detached houses because your 1st house is just a stepping stone to get to your 2nd one.

Yurt2 · 13-02-2019 3:40pm

GreeBo wrote: »

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/dublin/property-for-sale?maxprice=200000&maxbeds=2

216 = fanny all now?

Define appropriate other than "where I want to live in Dublin"?

In the context of a capital city with circa one million residents, 200 odd is less than fanny all. Particularly when you're advocating single middle class earners (let's say 100'000 people in the cohort seeking to buy) to bid against each other for the limited resource. What do you think the numbers of evuivalent apartments for sale would be for Copenhagen or Lisbon?

Repeat after me: "the market is good, the market is great, I surrender my wages, as of this date."

witchgirl26 · 13-02-2019 3:44pm

uncommon_name wrote: »

don't be looking at detached houses because your 1st house is just a stepping stone to get to your 2nd one.

Just on this - the mindset we went with was "would we be happy to stay here if we got stuck" as we saw siblings get stuck with negative equity. Defo still don't need to get a mansion but don't just think you can move up in 5 years as god knows where you'll be, the housing market will be or the economy will be in 5 years time. No guarantee.

GreeBo · 13-02-2019 3:57pm

Yurt! wrote: »

In the context of a capital city with circa one million residents, 200 odd is less than fanny all. Particularly when you're advocating single middle class earners (let's say 100'000 people in the cohort seeking to buy) to bid against each other for the limited resource. What do you think the numbers of evuivalent apartments for sale would be for Copenhagen or Lisbon?

Rightmove.co.uk:

Lisbon has 179 properties for sale with 2 or less beds for 200K.
I'm pretty sure the wages are a lot lower in Lisbon.

Copenhagen has 16.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_price_rankings?itemId=100&region=150&displayCurrency=EUR

Yurt! wrote: »

Repeat after me: "the market is good, the market is great, I surrender my wages, as of this date."

Yeah, that'll probably fix it alright.
Or you could try saving like everyone else.

baby and crumble · 13-02-2019 3:59pm

Why are people moaning about people who want to live in Dublin, or Cork, or Galway? The simple fact is that a lot of people want to live where there are jobs, and infrastructure and things to do. I'm originally from outside Dublin but frankly I wouldn't want to settle down where I grew up even though I could have probably bought a nicer house down there for the same money we paid for our house in Finglas. Because there's f*ck all there. There's so little investment going into rural areas and small towns. They died a death during the recession when people HAD to leave to find a job, and many haven't recovered or are recovering slowly.

martingriff · 13-02-2019 4:04pm

Idbatterim wrote: »

this kind of post makes me laugh! Didnt varadkar himself say, "saving and getting a mortgage for a house were never easy" I dont doubt that, but it was a hell of a lot easier than now, probably a multiple!

All of these posts saying, "I moved hours away" "I saved and got my own place" all well and good, was that when the banks were throwing out money like confetti? Were you able to take advantage of the overshoot on the way down. Well guess what? many couldnt! Did you manage to pay back virtually no mortgage during the recession and get away with staying in "your" home?

It is a totally different story now, so unless you have bought recently with the current rules and havent had a hand out from the bank of mum and dad, spare me the laughable comparisons!

I am sorry but that sounds like poor me. Guess what as a person who will have a mortgage for 20+ years I can tell you it was tough for a lot of people in those time also. These people now have repayments I the thousands.it is not these people are living life of leisure now. I am sorry to burst your bubble but if you want something it takes sacrifices and that means not having the latest phone eating cheaper not going out or no holidays. This is the real world it is hard and tough and you have to work for it

GreeBo · 13-02-2019 4:05pm

baby and crumble wrote: »

Why are people moaning about people who want to live in Dublin, or Cork, or Galway? The simple fact is that a lot of people want to live where there are jobs, and infrastructure and things to do. I'm originally from outside Dublin but frankly I wouldn't want to settle down where I grew up even though I could have probably bought a nicer house down there for the same money we paid for our house in Finglas. Because there's f*ck all there. There's so little investment going into rural areas and small towns. They died a death during the recession when people HAD to leave to find a job, and many haven't recovered or are recovering slowly.

No one minds someone who wants to live in Dublin, its the "I'm entitled to live in Dublin even though I cant afford it and didnt even try to save for it" attitude that people have an issue with.

Then when you point out that they cant afford it, rather than that being their problem, its suddenly everyone elses problem and we should magic up a few nice houses in nice areas for 100K for them.

Feckin Margaret Cash would be embarrassed for these people.

upinsmoke · 13-02-2019 4:18pm

baby and crumble wrote: »

Why are people moaning about people who want to live in Dublin, or Cork, or Galway? The simple fact is that a lot of people want to live where there are jobs, and infrastructure and things to do. I'm originally from outside Dublin but frankly I wouldn't want to settle down where I grew up even though I could have probably bought a nicer house down there for the same money we paid for our house in Finglas. Because there's f*ck all there. There's so little investment going into rural areas and small towns. They died a death during the recession when people HAD to leave to find a job, and many haven't recovered or are recovering slowly.

Common myth, what does Dublin have over a county like Kilkenny has except congestion

Idbatterim · 13-02-2019 4:25pm

I am sorry but that sounds like poor me. Guess what as a person who will have a mortgage for 20+ years I can tell you it was tough for a lot of people in those time also. These people now have repayments I the thousands.it is not these people are living life of leisure now. I am sorry to burst your bubble but if you want something it takes sacrifices and that means not having the latest phone eating cheaper not going out or no holidays. This is the real world it is hard and tough and you have to work for it

Im now sitting in the family home, purchased for 16 thousand pounds in 1989, in Dublin 14. the property is over a hundred years old, needed total gutting, extension etc. You know what this property would cost now in the same condition as it was bought in? I would say E350,000! I know the interest rates were far higher then, but that was probably a years salary back then!

All of this "it takes sacrifice etc" yeah of course it does! But all of you seem to think, "ah ill just become a slave to debt, stop living for a few years" etc, thats grand, fire away. But dont expect all of us to think along the same lines!

You wouldnt question in the insane or very convenient planning policies in Dublin, that force people to move a hundred kilometers away? you dont question margarget cash and her ilk getting housed in central Dublin at great cost, while you work to pay for it and then commute back on some **** journey in your car at another great expense or on the third world transport system here?

Only in Ireland, seriously. This **** wouldnt be tolerated anywhere else!

f@steddie · 13-02-2019 4:30pm

Idbatterim wrote: »

But all of you seem to think, "ah ill just become a slave to debt, stop living for a few years" etc, thats grand, fire away. But dont expect all of us to think along the same lines!

Not this BS again. No one is suggesting becoming a 'slave to debt' or to 'stop living'. It doesn't have to come to that. You just have to be sensible and save for a few years.

Idbatterim · 13-02-2019 4:33pm

f@steddie wrote: »

Not this BS again. No one is suggesting becoming a 'slave to debt' or to 'stop living'. It doesn't have to come to that. You just have to be sensible and save for a few years.

and probably live somewhere relatively "crap"...

many of your mortgage brokers on here or bank chairmen per chance?

Yurt2 · 13-02-2019 4:38pm

GreeBo wrote: »

Rightmove.co.uk:

Lisbon has 179 properties for sale with 2 or less beds for 200K.
I'm pretty sure the wages are a lot lower in Lisbon.

Copenhagen has 16.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_price_rankings?itemId=100&region=150&displayCurrency=EUR

Yeah, that'll probably fix it alright.
Or you could try saving like everyone else.

Rightmove has 769 1-2 bed apartments in Lisbon for sale live right now. And that's just one site. Keep shuffling the goalposts until you seem right.

f@steddie · 13-02-2019 4:41pm

Yurt! wrote: »

Rightmove has 769 1-2 bed apartments in Lisbon for sale live right now. And that's just one site. Keep shuffling the goalposts until you seem right.

I thought you wanted an average 3 bed semi? Keep those goalposts moving.

baby and crumble · 13-02-2019 4:45pm

upinsmoke wrote: »

Common myth, what does Dublin have over a county like Kilkenny has except congestion

I'm not getting in to a tit-for-tat here, it's pointless.

My family home is in the countryside. Nearest town 5 miles away.

My dad still lives there.

I'm not approaching this from a 'hurr durr cities are great everyone outside Dublin is a culchie with a horse and cart' perspective.

There are no, to my knowledge, jobs in my sector in my home town. I would say there might be a handful in the county.

Everyone has their own priorities when it comes to deciding on a place to live and call home. I have friends who would despise living in a city or even a bigger town. All I'm saying is there's an attitude of "it's your fault" if you're someone who is trained and wants to work in a sector that is based in large urban centres, to live within an easy commute and who wants to utilise the urban environs rather than somewhat more rural environs to live their lives. Nobody is entitled to their dream house, obviously. I don't want to live where I live but we quickly realised we needed to reprioritize when we came to buy. But I don't demonise people who strive for that.

witchgirl26 · 13-02-2019 4:55pm

Idbatterim wrote: »

All of this "it takes sacrifice etc" yeah of course it does! But all of you seem to think, "ah ill just become a slave to debt, stop living for a few years" etc, thats grand, fire away. But dont expect all of us to think along the same lines!

Only in Ireland, seriously. This **** wouldnt be tolerated anywhere else!

I didn't stop living at all while saving! I went on about 2 big holidays a year and a few mini breaks. I just planned for them well in advance and saved a bit extra for those. I gave up some things, sure but I don't really miss them and they were luxuries as opposed to necessities.
I'm not a slave to debt at all either - still living happily and planning my future. Do I like how much my mortgage is - not really but in the grand scheme of things it's not the worst and I have somewhere lovely to live so swings and roundabouts.

Idbatterim wrote: »

and probably live somewhere relatively "crap"...

many of your mortgage brokers on here or bank chairmen per chance?

Nope not a mortgage broker or bank chairman - wouldn't mind the latter's salary though!

And I don't live somewhere relatively "crap". Are there better areas I'd like to live in? Course there are! I've always wanted to own a Georgian house on a park somewhere in Dublin but even 14 year old me knew that was probably a pipe-dream (winning the lotto was probably the only hope). I live in a nice area, with nice neighbours, not too far from work and close to good amenities. Plus the house itself is fab.

Yurt2 · 13-02-2019 5:08pm

f@steddie wrote: »

I thought you wanted an average 3 bed semi? Keep those goalposts moving.

Where did I say I wanted that? I was making the point that a 70k earner (which happenens to be double the national median wage) can't get a mortgage for what is the average sale price in Dublin. Which is illustrative of the housing clusterf*ck the country is in.

But I suspect you knew that already. Here's a saving tip for you, don't put words in people's mouths.

1hnr79jr65 · 13-02-2019 5:30pm

How can anyone afford a house in their 30's? The following are a few easy steps that can help....

1. Maximize your saving and reduce waste !
A. Buy bags of frozen veg instead of fresh as they keep longer
B. Use vouchers for shopping from magazines and offer letters
C. Buy multi pack deals of meat in butcher or retailer and ask folks working their to portion out into separate bags for you.
D. Learn to bake bread, its very easy to do, takes little time and the cost of ingredients can make you alot more bread than what you would buy for same cost.

2. Do you really need sky sports, movie channels, subscription services?
A. If in contract with provider like sky, then remove add-ons, catch sport results on phone or live stream.
B. Youtube has alot of free movies if you cancel your subscription, also Netflix is far cheaper product to have.
C. Get Saorview if you don't have if and/or a free to air satellite package with a once off payment, much cheap than likes of sky.

3. Do you need the latest iphone, a bill plan which you may not get full use out of?
A. Keep your current phone if modern enough, if you need to upgrade, buy a second hand or new phone online, great stuff on likes of Amazon and cheaper than
having a network contract.
B. Change your plan to prepay over bill pay if better value !

4. Cut down on frivolous spending on nonsense !
A. Stop buying stuff just to have, alot of folks do this and end up with stuff that is effectively clutter as they use once or twice and store it away.
B. Cut down on foreign holidays, do have some holidays but make yourself aware of costs, it can be cheaper to book hotel and flights yourself, package deals
can often be much dearer.
C. If work is relatively close to home then consider walking or cycling when weather is good, I am just as guilty of using car the whole time but learning to put the
car keys down and walk is not only good for reducing spending but great for your health. If your health isn't great then it will improve it.

5. The most important advice i can give you - COMPROMISE !!!!!
Too many people WANT a house in a specific area, yes there can be good reasons for this such as looking after a family member or kids going to school,
don't drive and so on. BUT alot of decisions on where to live are based on laziness and unwillingness to travel too. I worked in Dublin when myself and my
fiancee bought our current home but live an hour and bit drive from Dublin city center (traffic dependent). Be willing to compromise on location as this can be
one of the most important influences on how much your new home will cost. Some sacrifices need to be made to have what you want......or an acceptable
version of what you want. We got a lovely house, much bigger and vastly cheaper than what we would have paid for in Dublin. Check out will your travel
expenses offset against saving you will make from further purchase.

I can tell you from experience that these are the things which can make or break buying a house. I bought my first house when i was 20, I am now 37 and living in my second purchase, my second home, it takes hard work and dedication, it will never be easy for most but it is achievable when appropriate effort applied.

lainey_d_123 · 13-02-2019 5:52pm

Cyrus wrote: »

Maybe you have answered this already but why are you staying in Dublin ? You can’t really afford to live there? Generally people live in a city because the access to better phone jobs offsets the higher cost of living but if you are taking home less than 2k a month that’s not the case. What do you do?

Because that's where the jobs are. I'm now retraining and the best opportunities for me are in Dublin. It's also my hometown, so God forbid I would want to stay near family/friends/support network (more important as I have a chronic illness). I suppose I should just go and rent a bedsit in the middle of Leitrim and work at the local Londis.

Brian201888 · 13-02-2019 5:54pm

Sour Lemonz wrote: »

How can anyone afford a house in their 30's? The following are a few easy steps that can help....

1. Maximize your saving and reduce waste !
A. Buy bags of frozen veg instead of fresh as they keep longer
B. Use vouchers for shopping from magazines and offer letters
C. Buy multi pack deals of meat in butcher or retailer and ask folks working their to portion out into separate bags for you.
D. Learn to bake bread, its very easy to do, takes little time and the cost of ingredients can make you alot more bread than what you would buy for same cost.

2. Do you really need sky sports, movie channels, subscription services?
A. If in contract with provider like sky, then remove add-ons, catch sport results on phone or live stream.
B. Youtube has alot of free movies if you cancel your subscription, also Netflix is far cheaper product to have.
C. Get Saorview if you don't have if and/or a free to air satellite package with a once off payment, much cheap than likes of sky.

3. Do you need the latest iphone, a bill plan which you may not get full use out of?
A. Keep your current phone if modern enough, if you need to upgrade, buy a second hand or new phone online, great stuff on likes of Amazon and cheaper than
having a network contract.
B. Change your plan to prepay over bill pay if better value !

4. Cut down on frivolous spending on nonsense !
A. Stop buying stuff just to have, alot of folks do this and end up with stuff that is effectively clutter as they use once or twice and store it away.
B. Cut down on foreign holidays, do have some holidays but make yourself aware of costs, it can be cheaper to book hotel and flights yourself, package deals
can often be much dearer.
C. If work is relatively close to home then consider walking or cycling when weather is good, I am just as guilty of using car the whole time but learning to put the
car keys down and walk is not only good for reducing spending but great for your health. If your health isn't great then it will improve it.

5. The most important advice i can give you - COMPROMISE !!!!!
Too many people WANT a house in a specific area, yes there can be good reasons for this such as looking after a family member or kids going to school,
don't drive and so on. BUT alot of decisions on where to live are based on laziness and unwillingness to travel too. I worked in Dublin when myself and my
fiancee bought our current home but live an hour and bit drive from Dublin city center (traffic dependent). Be willing to compromise on location as this can be
one of the most important influences on how much your new home will cost. Some sacrifices need to be made to have what you want......or an acceptable
version of what you want. We got a lovely house, much bigger and vastly cheaper than what we would have paid for in Dublin. Check out will your travel
expenses offset against saving you will make from further purchase.

I can tell you from experience that these are the things which can make or break buying a house. I bought my first house when i was 20, I am now 37 and living in my second purchase, my second home, it takes hard work and dedication, it will never be easy for most but it is achievable when appropriate effort applied.

This is such patronising nonsense, buying frozen veg isn't going to make getting a house happen.

Brian201888 · 13-02-2019 5:54pm

lainey_d_123 wrote: »

Because that's where the jobs are. I'm now retraining and the best opportunities for me are in Dublin. It's also my hometown, so God forbid I would want to stay near family/friends/support network (more important as I have a chronic illness). I suppose I should just go and rent a bedsit in the middle of Leitrim and work at the local Londis.

Quit your woe is me attitude, you aren't earning enough to live in Dublin so either get a better job or move. Boo hoo and all that but that's literally the only options available to you.

Cyrus · 13-02-2019 5:55pm

lainey_d_123 wrote: »

Because that's where the jobs are. I'm now retraining and the best opportunities for me are in Dublin. It's also my hometown, so God forbid I would want to stay near family/friends/support network (more important as I have a chronic illness). I suppose I should just go and rent a bedsit in the middle of Leitrim and work at the local Londis.

Sorry based on what you have told us what you earn you could earn it anywhere. if you are retraining then hopefully your situation will be different in the future and the situation improves.

if you need to be in dublin you need to be in dublin, but you will need to earn more money, its pretty straighforward.

lainey_d_123 · 13-02-2019 6:00pm

Pussyhands wrote: »

WTF are people spending their money on exactly?

If you're renting on your own in Dublin, that's a major luxury.

I don't rent on my own. I rent a room in a shared house.

What am I spending my money on?

600 - rent
80(ish) - bills and house costs
170 - transport pass
up to 150ish - medical needs
200 - food

That's 1200 right there and on top of that I still have student loan repayments, any other necessities, tiny bit of money on having a semblance of a social life, and I'm lucky to be able to save a couple of hundred a month.

lisasimpson · 13-02-2019 6:07pm

Cyrus wrote: »

still there, also in kilkenny & drogheda

A lot of finance and IT jobs now based outside of Dublin if you look hard enough. Plenty of people in cashel working in either state street in Kilkenny or Norther Trust in Limerick. Think there's another funds company opening in limerick city centre. Theres a few based in Galway too. As another poster said there will always be legal work around the country. Naturally you may need to move to the likes of Dublin to gain your experience in these industries but there will be opportunities to relocate after while. Plus remote working is becoming increasingly common in some industries

lainey_d_123 · 13-02-2019 6:09pm

GreeBo wrote: »

All those head starts become irrelevant pretty quickly if, like the OP, you spent your way through your twenties.

Those things are certainly a large benefit, but they are not a requirement.

Some think that they are entitled to live in Dublin because, well, they want to. Life isnt like that.
"Everyone" wants to live in Dublin, so the house prices are irrelevant, there are not enough houses for everyone who wants one, so of course the price is going to go up.
To just expect your wages to magically go up to match them is insane.

Sure, OP was irresponsible and wasted many opportunities to save, but there are plenty of people who were diligent and still never got anywhere. Not everyone who can't afford a mortgage frittered away all their money on enjoying themselves.

pwurple wrote: »

In fairness to Lainey, the salary is about 26k

x 3.5 = 91k max mortgage. Plus deposit to make up the rest.
200k would seem difficult on that, alone. However, people do buy houses together when not married also...

Aim 1 has to be increase that salary, because it's very low for Dublin.

She (not sure why I'm assuming female, but there you go), will need to look at financially sound ways to do that. So rather than doing a masters or a teaching diploma, check the outcome first and the return on investment. I'd go to an independent career guidance professional. Show them what you have in terms of qualifications, take skills and aptitude tests, and look for progression advice.

I generally believe that there's no such thing as a wasted education, but sometimes the courses are more advantageous for personal development and academic interest rather than for a financial aim. Universities are businesses too, they are in the business of selling those courses to you.

I'm already changing career, but I'm limited as to what I can do because I have a disability and a long term illness. There's so much ableist sh1te on this thread, it's incredible. Not everyone is able to do highly paid jobs, that's just a fact. Do those people not deserve to have a modest home when they're also working hard? I'm not asking for a 5-bed detached house in Dalkey. I just want a modest little apartment so I'm not still sharing with strangers when I'm 50.

Sleepy wrote: »

26k is a first year graduate salary in most professional industries in Dublin (or perhaps a year 2 or 3 position in the civil service where one has to accept low wages as the opportunity cost of belonging to a public sector union imo - why urban members haven't insisted on the union fighting for an Irish equivalent of the "London Allowance" their UK counterparts have baffles me). 26k is a fine salary for someone in their early twenties. Most grads with a useful degree (business, IT, law or engineering) would be earning more than that 3 years after leaving college or by their mid-twenties.

For someone in their 30s it's a sign they've either wasted a lot of time studying for qualifications that aren't any use in the employment market (I'm thinking masters courses in humanities that have no application outside of academia), chopping and changed their area of study or career path or spent a large amount of time outside of the workforce / travelling etc.

If you want to buy in Dublin you need to be earning 40k or more. That's a fairly modest salary in Dublin and the likelihood will be that you'll be looking in working class areas at that level as you'll be priced out of anything else.

Those using national salary averages are being rather disingenuous here imo: most of us working in Dublin would take a large salary hit if we moved outside of the major cities. TBH, most of us would even take a hit moving to Cork or Galway.

So, what should those that are uninterested in doing degrees related to pursuing careers in STEM, business or Law do? My advice would be to aim for a public sector position outside of the cities. A teacher on year one of their salary scale (€36,318) would pass the LTI rules to buy a 3 bed property in large parts of Mayo, Cavan, Tipperary, Longford, Sligo, Wexford, Laois, Donegal, Clare etc. Even a Clerical officer in a Local Authority (starting on €23,587) would be able to afford a 3 bed in many parts of the country.

This is all grand, but as I said, not everyone is capable of working in IT, law or engineering. Plenty of people went into college to study things that would have got them jobs no bother before the recession. There were loads of grad schemes taking people with firsts and high 2:1s in 'any degree'. Lots of careers are off limits to me due to my disability - should I just flatshare forever, so? I don't deserve the opportunity to buy a small flat?

How can someone in their 30s afford a house - PLEASE READ MOD WARNING IN OP

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