'Oh my God, we wish we'd waited'

Reaction"Oh my God, we wish we'd waited," was the reaction from one couple that purchased their first home just two months ago and feel aggrieved that they missed out on the reduction in stamp duty for first-time buyers.

The news that first-time buyers of second-hand properties will have to pay no duty on houses up to the value of €317,500 was not well received by the couple.

After renting in Dublin for over five years, Edel King (30) and her partner Morgan Gilbert (30) finally purchased their first home for €317,000 in the Dublin 12 area.

If they had waited a mere eight weeks, they would have been exempt from paying stamp duty and would have an extra €11,500.

"We could have furnished the house twice over and had some money towards a fancy car," explained Morgan.

The fact that the price they paid for their home is just €500 under the new threshold set by the Minster makes the news all the harder to bear, according to Morgan.

"I felt sickened when I heard the news. I had just lost my €11,500. It's very hard to save for a house when you are shelling out €1,000 in rent. Coming up with the €11,500 in stamp duty is another added difficulty."

The couple feel that they "have not been helped by anyone," according to Edel.

"We are obviously not the only ones. "