The results of the latest census are still being collated, but there is certain to be an increase in the current total of 150,000 people aged between 25 to 34 still living with their parents.

This recent demographic will come under the scrutiny of TV newcomer and managing director of brokers First Credit, John McGuire, when he presents a factual entertainment programme on this very issue, entitled I'm An Adult, Get Me Out of Here, hitting RTE Two screens on Tuesday.

The programme will be of great interest to those young potential buyers . . . and possibly to hard-pressed parents who are actually looking forward to the eventual 'empty nest'.

McGuire has come up with two acronyms for the twenty and thirtysomethings still commandeering Dad's remote control: Clopsies (Children Living Off Their Parents Still) who want to move out, but feel they can't afford to; and Kippers (Kids In Parents' Pockets Eroding Retirement Savings) who know the value of a cooked meal, made bed, and laundry washed and ironed, thanks very much.

The programme will trail the experiences of a number of people from different backgrounds and occupations as they strive to fly the nest, or as McGuire says, "we attempt to give them a helping hand . . .

or a good shove in the right direction."

And he has good experience in this area, having bought his first house when he was just 23. Now, 11 years later, he has a portfolio of properties here and abroad. His dayto-day work as a mortgage adviser involves dishing up similar advice to clients.

"First-time buyers comprise over 70% of the people I deal with daily. The first and most important piece of advice to anyone is to get as much information as possible.

"Find a reputable broker, preferably one who represents more than a couple of lending institutions. Most of this advice is free, so take advantage of that. It's important to get someone who can explain everything in plain English . . . not talking in some obscure financial language.

What most young buyers want to be told is 'here is the bank that will lend you the most money'."

That may not necessarly be the bank that you have been with since your communion money was lodged there at age eight either, so McGuire stresses again the value of shopping around.

It also pays young buyers to look beyond where they are currently living . . . most want to live where they grew up, but hardly any of them can buy there, at least not first time around.

What's pushing up prices here is that there are still not enough properties being built, and first-time buyers are constantly competing with one another . . . a factor, in some instances, which is prompting buyers to join forces. It's more and more common now to buy with someone else, a sibling or a friend usually, says McGuire, who has arranged mortgages for three parties in some instances.

In terms of getting the mortgage approval, one of the first things that tends to suffer is the beloved car. A restriction for any first-time buyer is to get rid of personal debt, most usually credit card bills and car loans.

"It's often the only way someone can get a mortgage . . . that's how I started at 23 when I had to get rid of the nice car. You have to decide:

decent house or decent car.

And while you might not like to drive around in a l982 banger, clearing a car loan with repayments of anything around 450 a month will make the difference to your eligibility. Very often, this is where parents help out, by giving a gift of perhaps 12,000 or so to clear a personal loan, or to use as a deposit."

Parents are aware that the only way they may see the proverbial nest emptying is by digging deeper in to the household budget to provide junior with that deposit.

The way to do that less painfully is by taking advantage of the equity built up on their own property as a result of spiralling house prices.

A pattern is emerging among mature owners with property valued at the upper end of the market, which is to sell it, buy a smaller apartment here plus a holiday home abroad, and then give their offspring that nest egg sooner rather than later.

But on the other hand, says McGuire, others feel that perhaps the son and daughter using all the hot water and bringing home a different love interest every night of the week is not deserving of any financial help whatsoever.

"It's now quite regular for parents here to provide the deposit for a property, but it varies a lot. Elsewhere, there seems to be a growing concern among the older generation about the thriftiness of the young. In the States, parents are worried about how to keep their kids' financially solvent, how to teach them the value of money and how best to use it.

"Research among 2,000 4570 year olds in the UK recently showed that over 67% don't intend to leave any inheritance to their families at all . . .

they intend spending it during their own lifetime."

ALL I WANT IS A HOME SOMEWHERE

Nadia Kavanagh (25) moved out of her mother's home in Naas . . . but then came back again. The plan is to save the money that would go on rent and put it towards a mortgage. As a mum herself, to two-year-old Ellie, she has decided to look in neighbouring counties for a more affordable home.

"I didn't have a choice really. There is no way I could afford to buy a house while also paying rent. Linking up with the television programme has been a de"nite bene"t, not least because they put in so much of the legwork in helping "nd places, and also keeping me focused on properties that I might actually be able to afford. You tend to get obsessed with property . . . I must admit I read the supplements and go to look at places that are way out of my reach."

Nadia is hoping to buy under the shared ownership scheme and has a budget of roughly 185,000, so she has a dif"cult task ahead. Moving back home has its bene"ts, but also its drawbacks.

"My mum is brilliant of course, but no matter how great the relationship, it's still someone else's house and you lose a certain amount of privacy. I'm looking forward to getting my own place eventually, having my friends round and putting my feet up on my own sofa."