THE FIRST TIME BUYER Clionadh O'Leary Clionadh, 27, a radio presenter/DJ with Spin 103.8FM, bought her first home, a two-bed apartment in Portmarnock, last year "THE idea of buying had been in the back of my head for a while. I did an on-line mortgage approval and found I had a budget of Euro300,000. Because I was buying on my own, I never thought I would be able to afford to buy where I wanted. So I decided to look for a small place in a nice area rather than somewhere further out.

Then in March 2005, I was looking on myhome. ie and saw two-bed apartments for Euro295,000 in Portmarnock. The location was great - my parents are close by in Sutton and I knew the area well. I immediately rang the agent and they told me the apartments were going on sale off-plan the next day at 9am.

I was a real novice. I strolled in around mid-day, I hadn't even got mortgage approval and they told me that there was one two-bed apartment left. Even though I'd heard stories of people queuing and that it was a competitive market, I didn't want to buy for the sake of buying.

But because it was the right location and the right price I really felt under pressure to make a quick decision. I rang my parents for advice. They made sure I asked all the sensible questions about parking, security, the number of units in the development and how many more phases there would be.

Fortunately, I was able to put down the booking deposit immediately.

Although I'd saved a good bit, I spent the next three weeks working as much as I could and borrowed money for the Euro20,000 deposit. Then I had to wait just over a year to sign the final contract. Because I bought offplan, interest rate rises didn't affect me. I wasn't bothered about stamp duty as I'd bought a new home, but changes to mortgage interest relief will be a help. I moved in last November. I was lucky.

Apartments in the second phase went up by Euro150,000, so I was right to make a snap decision."

Clionadh's advice: "Consider buying offplan. By the time the property has been built you might actually have made money.

Second phases always cost more than the first phase."

THE TRADER UPPERS Paul and Paula Fegan Paula and Paul, a housewife and audio engineer, traded up from a three-bed semi inwest Dublin to a three-bed semi closer to family inClare Hall, Malahide Road "WE bought our first home in Cloneen, west Dublin, eight years ago, as it was the only place we could afford at the time. But when we had our daughter, we really began to feel further away from family and friends. We were also concerned about the lack of schooling, so late last year we decided to move.

We started looking close in the Artane/Beaumont area, which has a good choice of schools. We really wanted a four-bed property, but we thought this would be out of our budget, so we also looked for three-bed semis which we could extend to a four-bed.

We didn't think it would take long to find a suitable property, about a month or two at most. But we when we started looking in January 2006 prices started going up, as much as Euro20,000- Euro30,000 a week so where we were looking was out of our reach by March. We soon realised that we couldn't keep up with these price hikes as our house wasn't going up in value at the same rate.

Eventually we settled on Clare Hall, Malahide Road - it was further out, but within the M50 perimeter.

The only reason I'd move again is if I won the lottery and could buy a new home outright. Combining the two sales was a nightmare. Everything is down to timing. In the end we just bit the bullet and put our house up for sale first and were sale agreed on that before we had an offer accepted on another house.

Trying to buy and sell together, you become piggy in the middle, hoping that everyone will do the right thing at the right time. But they rarely do. If you're thinking of trading up, don't count on moving when you expect, it'll take much longer than you imagine. It's much more difficult than buying your first home.

Although our first mortgage company were willing to lend us more to trade up, now that I'm not working, they weren't willing to lend us as much as we wanted. But when we went to the Irish Mortgage Corporation, they were able to get us two or three more offers that were much better.

Paula's advice: "I would definitely advise people to consider going to a mortgage broker. They'll give you a lot more options and help make the process a lot simpler."

THE FIRST TIME INVESTORS PHILIP AND SHARON BURRELL Philip and Sharonwent down the investor route for the first time late last year. It's a different experience to that of buying your own home, as Sharon explains, adding that there are different categories of investor "We didn't buy an investment property to make a quick buck, but rather to provide a safe investment for our three children. Our search for the right property began three years ago. That was for a new townhouse in Lucan that would have been perfect at the time, but in the end we were outbid.

As it turned out, we ended up buying a two-bed apartment in Shankhill, just two minutes up the road from our own family home. We had considered buying a more expensive townhouse in the same development, but decided that what we would get back in rental income from the apartment over the years would make a better investment.

We bought the property unfurnished, so obviously there is something of our style in the fit-out. I was conscious that this was going to be someone's home, and that they would be paying a lot of rent, so you have to make the interior design appealing.

We bought the property within a week of viewing it, and there were no hiccups in the process of either negotiating the mortgage with the Irish Mortgage Corporation, or signing final contracts.

What is nice about buying for investment is that you are not dependant on selling something. There is no chain. We actually bid on the apartment without full mortgage approval, but it worked out fine. Our solicitor had advised us to wait until after the budget in case of changes in stamp duty, and as it turned out, we got a small sum back. We bought the day after the budget, and though it looked at the time as if the property market had slumped, we feel sure we made the right decision."

Sharon's advice: "Invest in a location that has plenty going for it in terms of good transport, shops and all round amenities.

That old adage of location, location, location is just as relevant when you are investing as when you are buying your own home."

THE OVERSEAS BUYER Tony Harton The slowdown in the Florida property market may have dampened some people's enthusiasm to invest there but Tony Harton and his family have no regrets "Myself and my wife always liked the idea of Florida, and when we first saw our house in Orange Tree, Orlando at the end of last year, we fell in love with it. This is despite the advice that when you are looking at something as both investment and holiday home, you shouldn't let your heart rule your head. But we just looked at one another and said 'wow'. Everything about our property, from its orange blossom-filled avenue to the house itself with its swimming pool, is perfect. We paid $345,000 (Euro266,000) for it through the Emerald USA Group.

Our neighbours are mostly American, and there is every amenity on the doorstep. The only downside to owning property in Florida is that it's so far away. We've only been there twice in the year. The upside though is how straightforward it all was, with a guaranteed two-year rental agreement, a management company to run that side of it, and everything conducted in English, so no language barrier.

I had previously dipped into the investor market in Dublin and it worked out really badly - so far, this has been as comfortable and easy as I could ever have wished."

Tony's advice: "One thing I lost out on with the transaction was by trading through my normal bank here - I should have gone to a specialist foreign exchange bureau where I would have got a better rate."

THE CITY ESCAPEES Emma Higgins "It was for more living space in terms of a bigger house and garden that we moved from our two-bed terrace in Crumlin to a home almost twice that size in Newbridge.

But we've gained so much in an emotional sense as well. It's been so positive in every way - even though friends and family initially said, 'You're mad'. We had been on the lookout for something suitable for nearly two years and chose Newbridge because we already had some friends living there.

We saw three different properties that we really liked, but got let down because the agent wanted to sell to first-time buyer couples as we were involved in a chain and were a riskier option. Eventually, we bought a 1,400sq ft four-bed semi, with a garage, garden, utility room and two bathrooms.

When my family and friends come to visit, they're amazed at the amount of space, and the thing about comparing the value here with the city is that the move meant we actually had change from the whole transaction. But it's also to do with all of the surrounding space of where we live now, it's just healthier all round.

I could never see myself moving back to the city. Neither of us is into big-time socialising, it's more young families around where we live, and there's a real sense of community. I've convinced some of my family too of the benefits. Both my mother and sister are seriously thinking of moving out of Dublin. There's a whole other world down the N7. . ."

Emma's advice: "Take your time to find exactly what you want. Visualise yourself living there, and check the area has all that you need in terms of shops and general amenities. It obviously helps if you already know people in the area, although having small kids naturally gets you meeting other young parents."