MortgageWise.ie

Independent · free · every figure dated and sourced

Buying or selling a home in Ireland? Start here.

What you can borrow, what it all costs, what you walk away with, and who you need at each step. In plain English, from the official rules, with nothing you type leaving your browser.

Work out what I can borrow →Pick my journey

3.53%

Average rate on a new mortgage, Aug 2026

€396,000

Median price paid, 12 months to June 2026

€35,000

The most Help to Buy gives a first-time buyer of a new home

From the Central Bank, the CSO and Revenue, checked 21 Oct 2026. What changed in 2026 →

Where are you?

Pick the one that fits. Each is the whole thing, in order.

  1. Buying my first home

    How much can I borrow, and what does it all cost?

    1. 01Find out what you can borrow
    2. 02Save the deposit, and claim what you are owed
    3. 03Check which schemes you can use

    15 stepsStart →

  2. Moving home

    Sell one, buy the next, without a gap.

    1. 01Work out what your home is worth and what you would walk away with
    2. 02Find out what you can borrow as a mover
    3. 03Decide: sell first, buy first, or both at once

    14 stepsStart →

  3. Selling

    What will I walk away with?

    1. 01Find out what it is worth
    2. 02Work out what you will walk away with
    3. 03Ask your lender for a redemption figure

    13 stepsStart →

  4. Switching my mortgage

    Is it worth it, and how do I do it?

    1. 01Find out when your fixed rate ends, and set a reminder
    2. 02Ask your lender for the redemption figure and any breakage fee
    3. 03Compare the rates

    9 stepsStart →

  5. Building my own home

    How does a self-build mortgage pay out?

    1. 01Work out what you can borrow and what the build will cost
    2. 02Find a site and check it can be built on
    3. 03Appoint an architect or engineer

    13 stepsStart →

  6. A vacant or derelict home

    Up to €70,000 in grants: how, and what else?

    1. 01Check the home qualifies for the grant
    2. 02Work out the whole budget
    3. 03Get a full structural survey before you bid

    11 stepsStart →

Buying from abroad, or new to Ireland? That journey is here.

The three questions everyone asks

How much can I borrow, what will it cost, and who do I need?

Most people buy or sell a home two or three times in their life, and the rules change between each one. The tools give you your own numbers. The guides say what happens next. The professionals pages say who does what, what they cost, and how to check they are registered before you hire them.

  1. Question 1How much can I borrow?4 times your income as a first-time buyer, 3.5 times if you have owned before, and 90% of the price. Your numbers, in a minute.Open →
  2. Question 2What will it all cost?The deposit, stamp duty, the solicitor, the survey, the valuation, insurance and the move, on one statement, with what you pay at signing and at closing.Open →
  3. Question 3Who do I need?A solicitor, a surveyor, a BER assessor, an agent, an architect: what each does, what they cost, and the register to check. Quotes cost nothing.Open →

The tools · 19, all free

Your own numbers, laid out like a closing statement

Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server. No tool says what a lender will offer you or what a home is worth: those are the lender’s and the market’s calls. They give you the limits, the costs, the tax and the dates, from the published rules.

All 19 tools →

The people you need

Nine kinds of professional, one form, no fee to you

Each one has a page: what they do, when you need them, what they usually cost, and the official register to check before you hire. Tick the ones you need and we pass your details only to them, only with your say-so.

  • Mortgage advisorBefore approval in principle, and again when a fixed rate endsOften free; up to €500
  • SolicitorBefore you bid, and on every sale€1,500 to €3,000 + VAT
  • Surveyor or engineerAfter sale agreed, before you sign€300 to €600 + VAT
  • BER assessorBefore a home is advertised for sale, and for a green mortgage€225 to €400
  • ArchitectAn extension, a renovation or a self-build€2,500 to €15,000 + VAT
  • Estate agentWhen you decide to sell, and for a valuation1% to 2.5% + VAT
  • Snag listBefore you close on a new build€350 to €600 + VAT
  • Protection and insuranceBetween the loan offer and signing€200 to €700
  • RemovalsClosing week€500 to €1,500 + VAT

Get quotes →

The guides · 100

Ten chapters, from the first savings to the keys and beyond

  1. 01Before you start10 guides
  2. 02Schemes and grants14 guides
  3. 03Rates, lenders and switching10 guides
  4. 04The cost of buying8 guides
  5. 05From sale agreed to keys12 guides
  6. 06Buying in a particular situation14 guides
  7. 07Selling14 guides
  8. 08Moving home4 guides
  9. 09Self-build, extending and renovating8 guides
  10. 10After you buy6 guides

Every guide, chapter by chapter

Rules version 2026-10, checked 21 October 2026, the Central Bank's mortgage measures, the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999 and the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 as amended. Every rule is traceable to a source: Central Bank of Ireland: the mortgage measures · Central Bank of Ireland: what are the mortgage measures (explainer) · Central Bank of Ireland: bridging loans exempted from the loan-to-income limit (8 April 2026) · Revenue: Help to Buy, how much can you claim · Revenue: Help to Buy · Revenue: Tax and Duty Manual Part 15-01-46 (Help to Buy) · First Home Scheme: property price ceilings · First Home Scheme: how it works · Local Authority Home Loan: interest rates · Local Authority Home Loan: eligibility · gov.ie: Local Authority Home Loan price ceilings raised from 1 April 2026 · Revenue: stamp duty rates on residential property · all sources.