Bantry has oldest home buyers in the country according to CSO

Bantry has some of the oldest home buyers in the country, according to latest statistics released by the CSO.

On Monday the CSO published data on the characteristics of Residential Property Purchasers in every Local Electoral area (LEA) in the country, based on 2019 figures.

In terms of two or more people making a joint purchase, Bantry-West Cork has the oldest home buyers in Ireland, with an average median age of 53.

This is 15 years above the median age for purchasers both in Cork and nationally, which stands at 38.

The median age for sole purchasers in Bantry is also high, at 51, but falls just short of the oldest solo purchasers in the country, in Kenmare in Kerry, where sole buyers have a median age of 54.

The youngest home buyers in Cork can be found in Carrigaline, where the average age of purchasers is 36.

Those going it alone can expect to wait a little longer to buy, as the average age for sole purchasers of homes in Cork is 42, four years higher than the average age of joint purchasers.

Across all areas in Cork, there are more joint purchasers than solo purchasers, with 63% of almost 5,000 homes bought in 2019, bought jointly.

The dominance of joint purchasers is more pronounced in certain areas, rising to above 70% in Cobh (76%), Carrigaline (72%) and Macroom (71%).

Income

The average median income for a home buyer in Cork is €66,600. For a solo purchaser, their average income was €46,400, while joint purchasers in 2019 had an average combined income of €80,000.

As well as having the oldest joint buyers in the country, Bantry-West Cork also attracted buyers with the lowest average income in the county - €33,000 for sole buyers and €56,300 for joint purchasers.

Cork City South East has some of the highest income joint purchasers in the country outside of Dublin, and the highest in Cork, with an average joint purchaser income of €110,200.