First-time buyers may be out in force looking for second-hand houses now that stamp duty has been scrapped. Here are half-a-dozen with instant savings

Co Meath: €475,000 Saving: €28,500

A beautifully restored and extended cottage outside Oldcastle, Co Meath is set on mature grounds and has a quaint air. Killeagh Cottage, Crossdrum, dates from the early 1700s. Although it has had a substantial makeover it still holds onto its rustic charm.

The four-bedroom house with 162sq m (1,744sq ft) is for sale by private treaty through Savills HOK.

At the heart of the home is a country kitchen with all the traditional finishes and fittings - a handmade tiled floor, five-door oil-fired Aga surrounded by natural stone and a Belfast sink.

A stunning sunroom, glazed on three sides with timber floors, opens out to the extensive gardens. The cosy livingroom has a large wood-burning stove and fitted bookshelves.

Upstairs there are four bedrooms and a family bathroom with heritage fittings. The village of Oldcastle is three miles down the road and Kells is about eight miles away. Over the county border in Westmeath is the beautiful Mullaghmeen Forest Park.

Agent: Savills HOK

Dun Laoghaire: €625,000 ... Saving€37,500

Off Clarinda Park in Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, is this two-bedroom townhouse in a small development called Clarinda Manor. An ideal first-time buy, it comes with a garden and space for a lodge.

Agent: Douglas Newman Good

Killiney: €645,000Saving €58,050

The owners of 108 Abberley, Shanganagh Road, Killiney, Co Dublin are looking for a quick sale and the price has been reduced from €675,000 to €645,000. The three-bedroom family home is in striking distance of Killiney Dart Station with Shankill and Killiney villages in easy reach.

The house, located in a mature residential area off Shanganagh Road, has recently been upgraded but new owners are sure to want to put their own stamp on the interior.

Number 108 is laid out over 102sq m (1,100sq ft). Accommodation includes a livingroom with a Canadian maple floor and a corner window overlooking the courtyard. The kitchen has recently been replaced and features a five-ring hob, good range of kitchen units and downlighting.

Upstairs there is a main bedroom with corner window and a dressingroom, which could be transformed into a nursery or study.

Also upstairs there are two more bedrooms and the family bathroom. There is parking for two cars to the front and the rear garden is laid out in lawn with shrubs.

Agent: Lisney

Rathmines: €1.225m ... Saving: €110,250

Affluent first-time buyers in the market for a classic Dublin 6 villa should look at 4 Gulistan Terrace, Rathmines, a terraced three-bedroom house in a smart residential enclave off Mount Pleasant Avenue half way between Rathmines and Ranelagh. It has a price tag of €1.225 million - pricey for young buyers but could be affordable with the help of generous parents.

The Victorian house has been extended and now has 146sq m (1,580sq ft) of living space. Two elegant reception rooms are at hall level. To the rear is a large kitchen/breakfastroom. At garden level there are three double bedrooms and a swanky shower room and bathroom. A lush back garden has stone walls and a pretty patio area.

Agent: Sherry FitzGerald

D2: €775,000 ... Saving: €69,750

A three-bedroom mid-terraced house in the heart of Dublin 2 offers city living with a front door. Number 56 Powerscourt is part of a small enclave of terraced houses off Upper Mount Street. It has an asking price of €775,000 which will make it beyond the reach of some first-timers. Nonetheless, its top location will make it very attractive to affluent city loving young buyers. The 85sq m (915sq ft) house has been given a modern makeover and is in walk-in condition. Accommodation includes a bright livingroom with wooden floors, a kitchen/diningroom and utility room. Upstairs there are two double bedrooms and a single. A back courtyard has rear pedestrian access; there is on-street residents' parking to the front.

Agent: Sherry Fitzgerald

D8: €495,000 ... Saving: €29,700

Located off Fumbally Lane, near Clanbrassil Street in Dublin 8, this terraced artisan cottage has been renovated and extended to a spacious 71sq m (760 sq ft). Surprisingly, it has three bedrooms, though at least one of these is likely to be used as a study or simply as storage space.

There is a livingroom to the front of the house with timber flooring and an opening fireplace. A good-sized kitchen-cum-diningroom at the back of the house has a full range of maple units and space for a dining table. It leads out to the cottage's patio-style garden which is predictably tiny.

The agent says that all three bedrooms are doubles, but none is particularly large and all share a shower room.

Agent: Sherry FitzGerald