More first-time buyer mortgages were approved in the first 11 months of 2025 than ever before, the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) said. A total of 30,124 such mortgages was approved between January and November, the highest since the industry lobby group began to collect such data in 2011. BPFI chief executive Brian Hayes said there were 4,251 mortgage approvals last November with overall values at €1,354 million. First-time buyers accounted for €822 million, or 60.7 per cent of mortgages last November, and mover-purchasers made up 23.8 per cent of mortgages by value at €323 million. [ Irish homes now selling for 52% more than pre-Covid levels, says Daft.ieOpens in new window ]Separately, property firm DNG has predicted house prices will keep rising this year.

Source: The Irish Times January 07, 2026 08:02 UTC