While the date of the general election remains unknown, all the indicators are that housing remains the number one issue for voters and political parties alike.
Earlier this week, Sinn Féin published its new housing plan, a 110-page document entitled 'A Home of Your Own'.
It commits to building 300,000 homes in five years at a cost of €39bn.
But the Taoiseach described the party's plans to phase out the First Home Scheme as "downright mean to first-time buyers".
So with housing very much at the centre of the political discourse, how are would-be homeowners and renters feeling?
Jack McCarron and Eleanor Mannion went to Athlone to ask people what age they think they will be before they own a home of their own.
