A Cork teenager has bought his first property at the age of 19. 

According to the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, only one-in-five first-time buyers were under 30 in 2023. 

On Lunchtime Live, apprentice plumber Seán O’Shea explained how he managed to buck the trend and bought a home in the West Cork town of Castletownbere. 

“It all started back in 2024 when I started looking for property to get on the property ladder,” he said. 

“In saving terms, I suppose I was always working from a young age - ever since I was 12 or 13 I started working with my father. 

“I was also working with my uncle, he was a fisherman; I just used to work after school, at the weekend and once I left school, I went straight into my plumbing apprenticeship. 

“That really grew my skills with hands-on work.” 

Saving for a deposit

Mr O’Shea said he has been “sensible enough” with the money he earned over the years and, after he left school, he went to work full-time in his Dad’s plumbing business. 

“Since I started my trade, I was able to go in there confidently enough and strip out the kitchen, the plumbing, disconnect some of the electrics - stuff like that,” he said. 

The house is very much a doer upper and was previously vacant for 10-years before Mr O’Shea bought it.  

It means he can apply for the vacant homes grant, which he describes as a “huge advantage”. 

“New houses these days are an enormous price, so I wasn’t going looking down that road at all,” he said. 

“It’s only half-an-hour away from me as well; so when I’m finished working in the evening, I can head back there as well, do a bit of work there. 

“Most Sundays, I’m back there.” 

At this point, Mr O’Shea still lives at home but he hopes to move out in the summer. 

“When I move into this house hopefully in June, I’m hopefully looking to rent out one of the rooms,” he said. 

“Just to bring in another source of income in.” 

Main image: House keys. Picture by: PA Archive/PA Images.