Advice on my situation

Your budget is 160,000. There would be properties in Leitrim / Roscommon at that price.

For planning you have to meet local needs, there is an application free nonrefundable. You pay for the land and then you have construction costs. You could apply to build a very small house if you meet local needs. How long do you live in that area/parish? (10 years if not from area originally) Are you involved in community organisations? Do you have a child in the local school?

How much is the site (only buy if you get planning) ? How much money would then be left for construction ? Can you do all that (planning application fee, price of site and construction) for €160,000 ? Can you complete within 5 years?

These are the questions you need to ask.

Are there properties available in the area for 160,000 ? An appartment maybe ? An old house ? Are you willing to move to secure home ownership? Is work available if you do move?

These are the questions you need to ask yourself first.

Have you looked into the Local Authority Home Loan?

https://localauthorityhomeloan.ie/

This is a nice appartment in Foxford. Depends where you live or are willing to live OP.

Being honest OP its a terrible idea. As others have pointed out for €160,000 you can buy a good home if you are not choosy about where you want to live.

You will need planning permission for a mobile home which you are unlikely to get. Mobile homes are eyesores, horrible to live in all year round, depreciate in value and have a limited life expectancy. You would be getting poor value for money. You would have to chose somewhere very very remote as not many people would be happy living near a permanent mobile home.

My dad bought a perfectly livable cottage in Co. Clare for 100k at the start of 2021. Houses in the area still go for around that price.

I doubt the mobile homes set up camp in the many front gardens of the houses of rathkeale have planning permission.

It's a bad idea buying a plot n plonking a mobile on it.

I lived in one for a year+ while doing up cottage, had a newborn n all in it. It cost 2500 delivered, spent 1500 putting in a stove, laminate and flogged it for 1500. Other option was 1500 a month rent and the site getting robbed. I'd have no bother living in one again, but they are a sweatbox in the summer.

Then again a mate lives in an a rated house n said it's the same in summer !

OP i think your idea of a mobile home isn;t a runner. you'd never get planning permission.

Now what somebody could do (not saying you or anybody i know), is to buy a bit of land. plant some trees/hedge as a screen around part of it and put in a temporary log cabin type building. Maybe thats your workshop or 'Barn'. Stick up a few vegetables on the land and if anybody asks you have a large veg plot & store your tools in the shed. You would have to live off grid though -so no running water, power would have to be solar, gas for cooking etc.

planning laws are difficult here and housing is now a serious problem. you need to look at alternative solutions (even if it could be construed as bending the law somewhat).

on a cost basis, even if you had to take it down eventually, i reckon you'd be saving vs rent.

Well then go talk to your prospective new neighbours, explain your situation and what you propose to do. Assuming you're reasonably sound and they are not dickheads, unlikely to be an issue.

my friend bought a mobile home with esb power, water ,shower ,cost about 25k swords area, he pays maybe 2k per year ,for power water etc,eg he owns the mobile home ,but its in a camping site near swords dublin ,go on daft.ie search house 100k to 130. look for 1 or 2 bed house needs modernisation ,needs some work,new kitchen units ,or cabinets ,

EG https://www.daft.ie/property-for-sale/galway-city?sort=priceAsc

https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-clounbrane-moyvane-co-kerry/4716240

The property is in need of complete refurbishment, but offers endless potential to create a wonderful family home. There is a large garden to the rear.

you work out how much you can borrow, eg roughly 3 to 3.5 time,s your annual salary ,

you can buy a 2 or 3 bed house in a rural town or village, its hard to give advice unless you state i,d like to live in say kerry or clare or area x.

you do.nt have to be in a relationship eg you can buy house with a friend or relative ,if you can agree on where to live ,how much to spend ,eg 50/50 share , 60,40 , eg each person needs a solicitor to do the paperwork,

if you want to post her a email adress , eg user7 at gmail.com or pm me i could give you advice .you can also get basic advice from threshold see threshold.ie if you income is under x amount per year and you are an irish citizen you can go on the local authority housing list to be eligible to be given a council one bed apartment

https://threshold.ie/

Well trying to do in sneakily will be sure to get the neighbours backs up - that's pretty much guaranteed. You shouldn't think the worst of people, many ordinary folk in rural areas are very decent and accommodating, particularly when they know what the story is. The personal touch is valued.

Mind you, if the prospective neighbours are blow ins themselves and keen on protecting their little patch of rural heaven, different story.

But the advice to buy a cheaper property and do it up if needed, is better.

I wouldn't class it as thinking the worst of people tbh

If a lad approached me sounding me about putting a mobile home up on a plot next to me my response wouldn't be favourable...I honestly can't imagine many people would be too accommodating tbh....what do they stand to gain snd what could they lose

Maybe I'm wrong but the only way I see someone getting to do it is if you find a location that it's hard to see and/or force your way in like the veg gardener shed idea and hide from view a couple of posts back up...or its so remote and not a tourist/scenic area that no one gives much of a toss..that's why I personally wouldn't do it.....an apartment or house in need of some tlc in a village within the OPs budget might be a hell of a lot better idea..a lot of the time I see the mobile home or cabin go up its owned /family land they are struggling to get permission on or its beside a house being built (the latter used to be more common but I've only seen it twice in my local area in the last decade)

But I'll admit I could be wrong.

@Ohoopee You seem very fixed on this site. If you are in the area from 2018 you will not get planning in my opinion. Look at the development plan for Kerry. You can buy a house anywhere and extend. With 160,000 you should be able to afford a house in Kerry, to renovate. Look at finding one in your price range. That is your best option. My opinion is open your mind to that option.

@Ohoopee That is the reality for people in Ireland. You can not build without a local need in the countryside, that means being from the area, having gone to school there, being active in the local community or living there for a good ten years and having being active in the community with kids in school there possibly. Some areas are much more difficult than others such as Meath and Kildare as they are under urban pressure. So unless you have a farm of land it is almost impossible to get planning there for a one off house in the countryside. Building is not an option for a lot of people so they buy. Kerry is not the most expensive county. Look into buying something. Putting a Mobile up on a Green field site is not legal either is a log cabin. That’s the only advice you will get from a solicitor.

If you think you might get planning talk to the council.