Thank you all for replying. Really appreciate it. I'm hoping to do it up and rent it out. Rentals in my area (i.e. just outside Killarney) for a 4 bedroom house would achieve between €650 - €700 per calendar month. I'm looking to long term rent - even though I think I would get more if I did holiday rentals but with two young kids I just don't have the time to be cleaning another house (but it's a consideration when the kids are older)! I'm thinking down the line to when the kids go to college, (first one will be 18 in about 12 years time) and the income would be really handy then. The house needs a new roof, rewiring, replumbing, new kitchen and bathroom - I'm guestimating around 40/50k to make it habitable. When finished it would be worth 180/190k. So to buy it would cost 80k plus legal costs (no estate agent involved) and to do it up would cost maximum 50k. I'm not going to flip it. It's quite close to my own house, so I can keep an eye on it, but I'd also like to be able to leave it to my kids when I pop my clogsl Or should I put my savings into an investment account and save myself the headache!!