25 October 2022
By Roger Kennedy
roger@TheCork.ie
Opinion/Property
Cork, the second-largest city in Ireland, is widely known as the food capital of Ireland. Beyond an endless array of edibles to gorge on, the city is unique in its cultural diversity and sense of community. Little wonder UK ex-pats and other EU nationals find Cork a home away from home.
Most importantly, whether you plan to buy a property for a vacation spot or to settle down after immigrating to Ireland, Cork is the city you should consider.
1. Friendly Property Purchase Policy
There are no restrictions as to who can buy a property in Cork, and indeed Ireland. Citizens and non-citizens have the right to own properties. You do not even have to live in Ireland to be able to buy a home here. A purchaser can be a natural person, or a body corporate.
However, you should note that buying a property in Cork does not give you an automatic residency permit in Ireland. Foreign readers should consult an Irish immigration lawyer to put you through the steps to obtain a resident permit.
2. High investment value
Buying a property in Cork can be a huge investment. Reports have it that the prices of houses continue to rise in the city. The cost of a two-bedroom apartment rose by 9.15% (from €142,143 to €151,143), while a three-bedroom property had a 6.21% increase (€260,000 to €276,143).
The narrative is that you expect the value of houses to still go up in the nearest future as the demand for housing rises in the city. Whether you want to buy the property and rent it out or you wish to sell it in the future, buying a property in Cork could be a profitable investment. Who knows? You may just be laying the foundation for a profitable real estate business in Cork. However, landlord-tenant rules keep changing, and an eviction ban until Q1 2023 was recenty announced.
3. Ample Land Space
Most properties in Cork are spacious and give you room to create recreational places within them. What do you need extra space for? Is it for gardening or a playground? You wouldn’t have problems finding a home with sufficient space for some personal comfort in Cork.
4. Great Outdoors
Even if you’re an introvert, you’ll still be captivated by Cork’s outdoors. Outdoor beauty, ancient buildings with high significance to modern structures showing architectural mastery, Cork has it all.
Surely, you’ll find your pick from the array of activities like cycling, hiking, surfing, wild swimming, moonlight kayaking, and dolphin and whale watching, to name a few.
5. Cultural diversity
Cork has the highest number of non-Ireland born residents in Ireland. Asians, Americans, Brits, Africans, and any other descent that comes to mind would probably be found in Cork. A recent demographic report reveals that 42% of the people living at the center of the city are non-Irish nationals.
You’re likely to find someone with close cultural ties living nearby. Another thing about this city is that you can participate in their local elections even as a foreigner. That means you also have a say in shaping the city to meet your needs. You wouldn’t find many places where this is possible.
6. Several Avenues to Socialise
You can’t regret buying a property in Cork, especially if you’ll be moving your family down soon. There are always events to attend in Cork. That’s perfect for socialising your family with Irish culture.
Let’s begin with music festivals. Have a treat to some of the best music genres like folk, jazz, rock, electronica, and what have you?
As earlier stated, nowhere in Ireland can boast as many meal varieties as Cork. Meet the masters of the Clonakilty Black Pudding and a host of top-class Irish chefs. Other events include poetry, literature, and food and art festivals.
7. Lots of Job Opportunities
If you hope to buy a home in Cork to settle after immigrating to Ireland, you would probably consider getting a job too. That makes Cork the perfect location since there are no shortages of employment opportunities there.
Several international students and foreigners work part-time and full-time here. The reason for this is not far-fetched. Cork hosts several multinational companies with diverse occupational disciplines. Some of these corporations include Amazon,, Apple, Deloitte, and IBM, to mention a few.
All you need is to have a skillset and find the company that needs your service. You won’t search long to get one. Little wonder the unemployment rate in Cork is only 5.6%.
Final Notes
We didn’t mention inexpensive housing as a reason to buy a property in Cork because they are not cheap. Corkonians would tell you that property prices in the city are, in fact, reaching an all-time high. However, the good part is that there are flexible payment plans you can adopt to get yours.
Many residents in Cork have unwavering allegiance to remaining in the city many years after settling there for many reasons. Own a property there, and you’ll soon discover why this is so.
However, if buying property in Cork doesn’t intrigue you, there are other friendly places in most of the Schengen countries where you can buy property. Just consult an expert before you consider the Schengen visa application.