Build a Dublin first-home budget from a specific property and your actual funding. A city-wide headline price cannot tell you the cash required for your deposit, legal costs, tax, moving and the home’s immediate needs.
Compare properties on the same basis
Use the official Property Price Register to research recorded transactions, taking account of its information notes. It is not a complete specification or condition report for each home. Keep the address, date and any flags beside a comparison rather than treating a price alone as an equivalent property.
Separate the asking price, an observed sale price and your agreed purchase price. None is automatically a quote for what another home will cost. Where you need market trends, consult the CSO methodology and published data rather than describing a small selection of listings as an official average.
Make one sheet per shortlisted home
| Cash requirement | Evidence to use |
|---|---|
| Price less mortgage funds | Actual purchase and lender figures |
| Stamp duty and legal work | Current tax guidance and itemised quote |
| Survey and valuation | Relevant professional quotes |
| Moving and immediate works | Your estimates and confirmed costs |
| Reserve after completion | Amount you intend to retain |
Do not overlook the ownership arrangement
For an apartment, ask about service charges and the responsibilities included. For any home, identify the relevant Dublin local authority for LPT instead of assuming all Dublin addresses have the same local adjustment. Keep those ongoing costs beside the cash required to complete.
If the funding gap is larger than your available cash, revisit the offer or timing. This is a budgeting method, not an estimate of the average first-home price in Dublin or a promise of mortgage approval.
Compare the full contribution, not just the advertised price
| Focus | Action or question |
|---|---|
| Funding | Subtract the mortgage actually available from the proposed purchase price. |
| Completion | Add evidenced legal, tax, valuation and survey costs on separate lines. |
| After purchase | Keep a cash reserve visible instead of spending it twice as both deposit and emergency funding. |
Your next step
Check the correct Dublin LPT authority