90% of first time mortgages in Galway last year were for properties within county

A new report has revealed that 88 percent of first time buyer mortgages drawn down in Galway last year were for properties within the county.

Meanwhile, when it comes to movers, the figure was slightly lower at 84 percent.

The report from the Banking and Payments Federation found that 1 in 4 borrowers nationwide are now buying or building outside their own county.

Home county borrowers accounted for less than half of home mortgages in three Leinster counties: Kildare, Laois and Meath.

Overall, a higher proportion of first-time buyers than movers were cross-county borrowers.

Carol Tallan, CEO of Property District, says there are a number of reasons behind this trend: