Over 7,600 buyers approved under First Home Scheme

Over 7,600 buyers have been approved under First Home Scheme over the last three years, a €740m fund set up to help First-Time Buyers and others who qualify under the Fresh Start principle to bridge the gap between their mortgage, deposit and the price of a new home.

The Scheme is a joint venture between the State and three banks, currently AIB (including subsidiaries EBS and Haven), Bank of Ireland and PTSB, and remains open to other authorised mortgage lenders in the Irish market to join the scheme.

Latest figures show continued strong interest in the Scheme, with 7,605 buyers approved and 3,691 homes already bought (or self-built by people building their own home) using the Scheme, as at end June 2025.

The report also shows a significant uplift in Scheme usage in its third year, with a 22% increase in the number of homes bought or built using the Scheme (1,778 homes bought or built in the period July 2024-June 2025 versus 1,457 in the previous 12-month period).

Overall 831 buyers were approved and 368 homes were bought or built using Scheme support in Q2 2025 while a total of over 17,300 potential buyers or self-builders have registered their interest in the Scheme.

The average purchase price for homes purchased, or build cost for homes built, using the scheme is €386,000; the average support being provided by the First Home Scheme in these cases is approx. €66,000 (17% of the average purchase price).

66% of First Home Scheme users are also availing of the Help to Buy scheme.

72% of live approvals have been for buyers in Dublin, Cork, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, with the remaining 28% spread across the remaining 21 counties throughout Ireland.

All cumulative data included covers the period from First Home’s launch on July 7th, 2022, to end June 2025.

In Roscommon the House price ceiling (including self-build houses) is €350,000 while the Apartment price ceiling is also €350,000.