Helen Antipala is one of the thousands of nurses from the Philippines who have moved to Ireland to work in Irish hospitals.

However, she is hopeful that her family - husband Regalado and children Mary Kathleen (7) and son Giovanni (12) - will join her next April. "I found it really difficult being here on my own and I have really missed my family."

In preparation for their arrival she has just bought a three-bedroom duplex in Hampton Wood, in Finglas for €305,000. Helen used a broker to help her secure a mortgage and found this easier than dealing with a bank herself.

Her mortgage repayments will be higher than her rent and Helen faces at least a 30-minute journey to work, compared to the short jaunt she currently enjoys living in Phibsborough. "My mortgage will be more expensive but it's much better to own your own home," she says - particularly when she is planning on living in Ireland permanently, she adds.

Her new home is in a quiet area and Helen is hopeful that her children will be able to go to school nearby. All children in the Philippines learn English in school, so her children will hopefully not find the move too difficult, she says, but "they will have to adjust to the accent".

A friend and colleague has also bought in Hampton Wood and other colleagues have either bought or are thinking of buying.

Friends have also bought homes, in Waterville, Blanchardstown, Lanesborough in Dublin 11 and City Gate in Meakstown.