But with eye-watering renovation costs, unpredictable timelines and no first-time buyer grants, is buying a fixer-upper now just bad maths? “Fixer-uppers have gone beyond the reach of first-time buyers,” 75 per cent of respondents to a recent poll he conducted of his 70,000 followers for this article said. “This additional cash requirement can be a major barrier for first-time buyers,” says Hennessy. Yet grants for first-time buyers are limited to new-builds only. “This is a major frustration for first-time buyers who struggle with a limited supply of new-build homes and affordability,” she says.

Source: The Irish Times February 18, 2026 07:41 UTC