Before I get into any of this, it’s important to understand something about me. I can be a little unhinged when it comes to goals. If I decide I want something, I tend to hyperfocus on it until it happens. Buying a home was no different. But this obsession didn’t appear overnight.
Since I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by houses. I loved interior design, and I was that slightly odd ten-year-old who would rather watch Grand Designs, Kirstie’s Homemade Home, or A Place in the Sun than Hannah Montana. Becoming an interior designer was the dream.
Like many people, however, I was encouraged to pursue something a little more practical. My parents wanted me to find a stable, permanent, pensionable job. Looking back, I completely understand why. Their outlook had been heavily shaped by the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash. Security mattered. Stability mattered. Taking risks did not.
So I put the interior design dream on hold and focused on building a career after college. The idea was simple: get a stable income first, and perhaps one day I’d finally have a place of my own to decorate and obsess over.
Then COVID happened.
Like many people, I found myself saving more money than ever before. Unfortunately, house prices seemed determined to rise even faster than my savings account. Every milestone I reached felt as though it was being cancelled out by another jump in property prices.
So I doubled down. I took every extra shift I could get, signed up for overtime whenever it became available, and spent far too many evenings building Pinterest boards full of imaginary future homes. Looking back, those Pinterest boards probably kept me motivated more than I’d like to admit.
At some point, buying a home stopped being a vague dream and became a problem I was determined to solve.
Unhinged Tip #1
Get Approved in Principle Before You Think You’re Ready
One of the best decisions I made was applying for mortgage approval in principle long before I felt genuinely ready to buy. Most people wait until everything feels perfect before approaching a lender, but I think that’s a mistake.
Approval in principle gives you clarity. It tells you what you might be able to borrow, how far away you are from your goal, and what steps you need to take to improve your position. Even if the answer isn’t what you hoped for, it’s still useful information.
Over the course of roughly five years, I received approval several times. My initial approval was around €260,000, eventually increasing to approximately €345,000 through salary increases, extra shifts, disciplined saving, and maintaining a clean credit history.
More importantly, approval in principle changed my behaviour. It transformed home ownership from a vague ambition into something tangible. It also signalled to auctioneers that I was serious. In some cases, I was asked to provide proof of funds before being considered for new-build phases. If you’re not ready when opportunities arise, you can miss out quickly.
Unhinged Tip #2
Be Early. Embarrassingly Early.
This tip is particularly relevant for anyone looking at new builds.
In Ireland, entire phases of housing developments can effectively be spoken for before the average buyer even knows they exist. Waiting for everything to appear neatly on Daft with a brochure attached often means you’re already behind.
At one point, I became interested in a development that hadn’t even broken ground. There was no website, no brochure, and no launch date. The only evidence it existed was a planning permission record.
I found myself regularly checking the site until eventually a small sign appeared identifying the auctioneer handling the development. I contacted them immediately. Even I felt slightly ridiculous doing it.
A few weeks later, I followed up. Then I followed up again.
In a competitive housing market, being early matters. Sometimes the advantage isn’t being quickest on launch day. Sometimes it’s already being known before launch day arrives.
Unhinged Tip #3
Get on the Radar of Auctioneers
One lesson I learned very quickly is that waiting for properties to appear online isn’t always enough.
During my house-hunting journey, I emailed auctioneers throughout the areas I was targeting. I introduced myself, explained that I was actively looking, confirmed that I was mortgage approved, and outlined the type of property I was interested in.
Most people contacting auctioneers are browsing rather than buying. When someone is financially ready, clear about what they want, and actively looking, they stand out more than they realise.
The biggest advantage is that you become known before a property even reaches the market. Sometimes opportunities arise because you’re already sitting in an agent’s database rather than because you happened to refresh Daft at the right moment.
Unhinged Tip #4
Write a Letter to the Seller
People don’t just sell houses. They sell homes. They sell places where birthdays happened, where children grew up, and where memories were made.
When offers are very close, the decision isn’t always entirely financial. A thoughtful letter won’t magically overcome a significantly higher bid, but in a tight bidding situation it can sometimes help sellers feel more comfortable about who they’re passing their home on to.
Will it always work? Absolutely not. Can it occasionally make a difference? I think so.
Unhinged Tip #5
Don’t Dismiss Affordable Housing or Shared Equity Schemes
This is probably the point I feel strongest about.
Many people hear terms such as affordable housing or shared equity schemes and immediately assume that they aren’t eligible for these options. The reality is different.
These schemes are designed to help people who are earning reasonable incomes but struggle to bridge the gap between mortgage lending limits and house prices. They aren’t handouts. They’re structured financial arrangements that still involve complete legal agreements and mortgage and equity repayments.
I’ve seen these schemes make the difference between someone renting indefinitely and someone finally getting a set of keys.
A note of caution: That doesn’t mean you should enter into any arrangement without understanding it properly. Independent legal and financial advice is essential. But I do think people should take the time to understand what’s available before dismissing it out of hand.
Final Thoughts
If there’s one thing this process taught me, it’s that getting onto the property ladder rarely looks exactly how you imagined it would.
The route might be slower than you expected. It might require a few unconventional strategies. It might even involve becoming slightly obsessed with planning permission records.
But the goal isn’t to win an award for doing things the traditional way.
The goal is to get the keys.
And if that requires being a little unhinged along the way, you are probably doing something right.
