The ‘emotional toll' of buying a home in Ireland: ‘split' deals and queueing for houses already sold
My husband and I moved here from Brazil three years ago with our infant son, with our daughter arriving shortly afterwards. We have since joined the race to buy a home, like many immigrants and plenty of Irish natives too.
At first, I was hopeful. The Help to Buy (HTB) scheme seemed like a much-needed support for first-time buyers, but that hope quickly gave way to frustration as I watched prices soar and floor plans shrink.
I lost count of how many emails, phone calls and, most of all, how much energy I poured into conversations with estate agents, desperately trying to secure a place in competitive launch queues.
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On the line, the agent sounded embarrassed as they explained that all the HTB units had already been reserved before the sale
As an immigrant without family roots here, I tried to stay open-minded. I broadened my search and considered properties in four counties surrounding Dublin.
I viewed homes in Louth, Meath, Wicklow, and Wexford but had to limit the search as the daily commute would be too punishing.
I have finally secured a home and am waiting to get the keys, but over the course of my long house-hunting journey, I have come across many worrying proposals.
In one case, after four months of back-and-forth with an estate agent about a new development, I received a call just days before the official launch. On the line, the agent sounded embarrassed as they explained that all the HTB units had already been reserved before the sale.
In one situation, an estate agent offered me an unofficial deal for a house in Co Wicklow: pay €25,000 in cash, off the books, to secure a property that was still within the HTB scheme. The agent called it a 'split' deal.
There was a separate proposal involving a different estate agent and developer in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow, details of which are reported in The Irish Times today. Here, an agent from Sherry FitzGerald offered me a former show house priced at €525,000, which had been visited by hundreds of potential buyers.
I was told the price would be 'split' between the cost of the house - €500,000, which is the maximum price to qualify for the HTB scheme, and an additional €25,000 for the flooring in the 102sq m home.
When I queried the cost of the flooring, the agent replied to say: 'We will offer the property to the next person on the list looking for HTB.'
Sherry FitzGerald has launched an internal investigation into the matter, and Revenue says it takes 'any attempt to bypass or understate the full value of a property extremely seriously', while declining to comment on individual cases.
As an immigrant without family roots here, I tried to stay open-minded. I broadened my search and considered properties in four counties surrounding Dublin
But should it really be this hard to buy a house? In the midst of a housing crisis, first-time buyers still have to deal with situations like this.
When things that should be simple become so difficult, it is only natural to start questioning the cost, not just the financial one, but the emotional toll as well.
Clara Franco is a freelance journalist based in Dublin
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