This is according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ report on the housing and mortgage market in Northern Ireland in 2009 and the first quarter of 2010.
In 2009, there were 10,100 loans for house purchase advanced in Northern Ireland, 16% up on 2008.
In the first quarter of 2010, there were 1,000 loans to first-time buyers, down 33% from the preceding three months but up 43% from a year earlier.
Deposit criteria for first-time buyers have eased somewhat in the first three months of 2010, with average deposits at 18% compared with 24% a year earlier.
