Lisa had a successful pre-planning meeting regarding her studio, and even though we need to obtain planning permission (5-8 weeks), things should be moving ahead smoothly. There is an interesting mortgage available through the National Irish Bank (actually owned by Danske Bank) called Loan to Value. Essentially, they will give you a mortgage based on the appraised value of your home taking into consideration the new renovations. So, fingers crossed, we should easily be able to clear the cost of the studio and the second bathroom on the first floor (or second floor for the folks back in the States.)

Interest rates are going up here, but we will probably be around 3.89% interest … that’s pretty low in relation to a US Mortgage!