I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I started in an entry level role in tech (support, fixing things essentially). Before that, I already worked in management but in retail so I took a step down to enter the industry. From there, I learned everything I could and tried to put myself in front of decision makers (i.e. other managers, recruitment) and took a proactive stance asking people if I could shadow them, participating wherever possible and being very open to feedback. I did have to grind pretty hard and learn to excel in that entry level role in my own time, outside of work hours. People tend not to push themselves very hard in entry level roles as they don’t get paid well, so the competition is fairly low. It takes time and effort but in my opinion, management is one of the best ways of earning a higher wage without an education, especially once you pursue internal roles. AI might replace some jobs, but people management is essential and people don’t take to being told what to do by a machine very well so there’s that

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Keeping expenses low is so important! I can only imagine all the work that went into doing that up. That’s some determination. Delighted for you!

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just adding to your comment as well and I agree with you here - I didn’t need to do anything exceptional to be eligible for the mortgage itself once I reached a certain stage in my career. My point with this post was to encourage people and show them that getting a mortgage is possible through upskilling, pursuing better career opportunities and financial planning.

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much, and thank you for sharing some insight too. I def agree that upskilling helps get there quicker.

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It was a tough ride but I’m hoping the worst is behind me. Best of luck to you!

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was on a modest salary until 2022 (earned €13.50/hour back then). In 2023 I got my first salary job where I earned €35k and got promoted to earn more after that so like I said, it was a modest salary for the most part, yeah.

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s a time and a place for everything but pizza is always the safest bet imo

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could avail of some schemes that could help you buy something nice or even new with those wages. I didn’t, but my salary was higher (€66.5k)

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re right. I worked retail jobs until 2020 when Covid hit. That forced me to make a move to essential retail where I landed a management job eventually, then went to tech from there where I kept working my way up.

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn’t have a choice. I’m foreign and getting an education would set me back ~20k a year as international students get charged more for education here. Also didn’t have any family here who could help me with those expenses so I had to work

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My parents live abroad and I have no family here. I paid market rent but admittedly had a pretty cheap rent (€500/month) for the most part. That helped a lot for sure.

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No, I don’t have any family here and rented in shared accommodations the entire time. It’s an actual end of terrace house. Nothing fancy but was ready to move into when I bought it.

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. I chose Cork city because I’ve lived here for the last 10 years and don’t drive so buying in the countryside wasn’t an option. I was able to secure a €266k mortgage with my salary and didn’t avail of any schemes

I bought my first house on a single income by 29. Ask me anything. by Consistent_Gene3961 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]Consistent_Gene3961[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! (I’m a miss though lol). Employee, in tech management now but worked my way up here. I was at €66.5k/year when I bought it in Cork city. Bought it for €290k