In the 1980s, an Irish couple spent 17% of their income on a mortgage.
Today? 26%.

Back then, the average home cost 1.7x the average income.
Now? Over 7x.

Dual incomes used to be optional and got you a nicer home or on the ladder faster.
Now? Mandatory - even for a shit box.

Single income households? Essentially locked out (average age 39).

So no, your parents didn't have it harder. They had it handed to them - and pulled the ladder up.

In the 2024 Irish elections, the parties in power promised ~50,000 new homes a year. This falls drastically short of current and expected demand.

Boycotting holiday homes in Mayo is not a solution.

Exempting a garden shed with notions from planning is not a solution.

Google offering housing to public sector workers is not a solution.

Blaming others is not a solution.

We know what the solution is. For 10+ years they've said "It won't happen overnight".

Bullshit - it won't happen at all

In those 10 years, homelessness up 575%.

In 2024, 15,000 people were homeless. 9,000 are families.
Cost? €361,000,000.

€40,111/family/year. €3,343pm

50% are homeless for over 1 year. 20% for over 2 years.

Median home price, €355,000.
Cost? 30 years at 3.0% - €1,496pm

€3,343pm clears that mortgage in 10 years.

We are spending more to keep people on the streets than in homes, with walls made of misery instead of brick. Build homes instead of excuses.

ESRI: "No new homes 'til 2027, lads!"

Targets now:
2025: 34,000
2026: 37,000
2027: 44,000
2028: 43,000
2029: 43,000

Central Bank: "We need 54,000/year for 25 years just to stand still."

Reality check: 93,000/year won't fix the backlog in a decade.

Talks of 100% mortgages - they will only raise prices. We built 93,000 homes and had 100% mortgages back in 2006... Same year they made Priory Hall.

The Irish government will make the entire country a "Rent Pressure Zone", negating the commonly understood meaning of the word Zone... Becoming "Rent Pressure".

They say these plans are to incentivise institutional investors... There are already incentives, such as:

* No Corporation Tax or CGT
* 24 month rent control reset
* HAP & HTB increasing prices
* RTB exemption for "Co-Living Spaces"

Meanwhile, in the last year prices are up 12.3%. Up 40% in the last 5 years - 100k for a median home.

€600k is the current price of a 3 bed semi-detached house in Dublin.

John and Mary (34 yo) need a minimum €60k deposit and must have a combined income of €135k - or €68k each - to purchase this home. Their mortgage is €540k.

With a BER rating of C, the most common for second hand homes, their interest rate is 3.2%.

Each month, for the next 30 years, they will pay €2,335.

It will take them 101 months (~8 ½ years) to start paying more principal than interest. They will be 42 years old

Moderately happy with how this came out - gives off mild Glorious Leader vibes

Tomorrow isn't promised. Be a cunt today

Fuck it. I'm making it public. Boost this motherfucker to the moon and back.

I am a male victim of domestic violence.

We exist. Listen to our stories. And fucking believe us.

Is anyone else getting a load of new follow requests from random new accounts?

I wonder if I'm on some list aomewhere

Ah it's firefish (nee calckey?). Never mind

Ladies and Gentlemen, the weekday.

You might recall, fadó fadó¹, of my quest to hit a 32 inch waist as part of my weight loss journey.

I think I've hit it. I'll need to confirm with a pair of jeans the same as I'm currently wearing.

If I am officially a 32 inch waist, the next step is going down from a large to medium shirt size.

I'm tentatively over the moon!
__
¹ Irish for long long ago.

I tried on a pair of chinos today. Guess who is now a 32 inch waist! 🎉🎉🎉

Who wants to come over tomorrow and play 9/11 with me?

Imagine Prince Charles fingering you with his fucked up sausage fingers.

Mastodon is wild. One second people debating an academic white paper. The next boobies.

Is Marty Whelan doing the comments again for #Eurovision?

Remember the time he used a swear word by accident and the nation held its breath?

The #BigStrongMen are laying down some thicc pipe.

Oh lawd it's so girthy

@lolennui Top Tip: Don't use sandpaper as a substitute.