US Citizen moving to Citywest - areas to live?

ocsfan

Hi. It looks like I may be moving to the Dublin area to work in Citywest. Any suggestions on where I might look? I've been to Ireland on holiday many times, and love the atmosphere of smaller towns, but I have two daughters (17 and 20) who will be coming with us who would like access to Dublin, I'm sure.

I'm willing to commute a bit, but I guess my dilemma is being close to Dublin/Citywest, and yet far enough out where I can be in a relaxed and safe area. I'm looking to rent, initially - and hoping to be somewhere around 1,000 for a 3 or 4 bedroom home with at least 2 baths - considering a wife and two daughters, I'd need that.

I'd love some ideas!

Thanks!

MadsL

ocsfan wrote: »

Hi. It looks like I may be moving to the Dublin area to work in Citywest. Any suggestions on where I might look? I've been to Ireland on holiday many times, and love the atmosphere of smaller towns, but I have two daughters (17 and 20) who will be coming with us who would like access to Dublin, I'm sure.

I'm willing to commute a bit, but I guess my dilemma is being close to Dublin/Citywest, and yet far enough out where I can be in a relaxed and safe area. I'm looking to rent, initially - and hoping to be somewhere around 1,000 for a 3 or 4 bedroom home with at least 2 baths - considering a wife and two daughters, I'd need that.

I'd love some ideas!

Thanks!

To be honest, unless you are absolutely wed to the suburban dream, I would give your daughters the great experience of living slap bang in the middle of a European capital city and consider apartment living in the city centre. The north inner city would suit if you plan to take the LUAS into work. If not, I've commuted out to Citywest from Smithfield and it is no more than 30-40 minutes in the mornings.

Other than that, live the other side of Citywest and commute in from there. You will get nice rural feel. Your daughters will probably hate it unless you buy them horses if they are into that. I suggest avoiding Naas as a small town and advising your daughters likewise.
As a compromise you could live in an apartment in Saggart but that LUAS line is not the best at night for your daughter's sanity. Not seriously unsafe, just full of drunken idiots.

Dublin is a relatively safe city at night, and walking home in company is probably safer than getting taxis. They will be going out anyway and you will save them a fortune in taxi fares or yourself late nights in picking them up.

I think your budget is off though, your won't find much of quality at 1k a month, think closer to 1.5k.

Gran Hermano

Best bet would be to look at houses around Rathfarnham and Templeogue.
You would only have a short commute on the M50 and N7 whilst still having was of access for the family into the city centre or Dundrum shopping centre.
Check daft.ie for houses in Dublin 14 and 16 but you will most likely need to increase your budget.

latenia

ocsfan wrote: »

I'm willing to commute a bit, but I guess my dilemma is being close to Dublin/Citywest, and yet far enough out where I can be in a relaxed and safe area. I'm looking to rent, initially - and hoping to be somewhere around 1,000 for a 3 or 4 bedroom home with at least 2 baths - considering a wife and two daughters, I'd need that.

You need to raise the amount you'd pay to at least €1400 to get a nice family home in an ok area-€1000 for a 3 or 4 bed is the 'welfare rate.' I'd recommend Terenure, Templogue, Knocklyon or Rathfarnham-they're all a quick commute to Citywest against rush hour traffic and aren't too distant from the centre. You can claim back about €500 in total of your annual rent paid through the tax credit system.

Edit: Pretty much what Gran Hermano said while I was typing...

Victor

Rush hour traffic (8-9am and 5-6pm give or take) within Citywest can be a bit chaotic.

penana

Hi!
Whilst I'm not really familiar with Citywest or its neighbourhoods/estates, I did take a quick look at Daft just for general interest, and spotted a few nice looking houses to let. Granted, they are all a bit above the €1,000 mark, but not horrendously so. Here are the links:

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1244510
Belfry Road - €1,090 Monthly
-- 3 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1232957
2 Carrigmore Oak - €1,100 Monthly
-- 3 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1230238
Verschoyle Ave - €1,150 Monthly
-- 3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1244077
Carrigmore Elms - €1,200 Monthly
-- 3 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms

Hope this helps.

MadsL

^^^

Would you actually want to live in Citywest though? Business parks don't have a lot of appeal to me personally.

anncoates

None of those areas are in the business park, just beside it.

Saggart and rathcoole would be a good bet OP. Settled areas with a village feel and only a very short drive to work.

athtrasna

latenia wrote: »

You can claim back about €500 in total of your annual rent paid through the tax credit system.

Not any more - this is being phased out and you would need to have been renting prior to the budget change to be entitled to this.

Gary The Gamer

MadsL wrote: »

To be honest, unless you are absolutely wed to the suburban dream, I would give your daughters the great experience of living slap bang in the middle of a European capital city and consider apartment living in the city centre..

Terrible advice.

Sounds like you want to be somewhere like Naas. Big town, handy enough drive to your work. Close enough to visit the city for events. €1000 won't get you any kind of decent family house to rent in South Dublin in a decent area.

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1244275

ocsfan

Wow, some great advice here. I'm so grateful for all of the suggestions. I'm definitely open to paying 1200-1300, would just like to keep that expense lower if possible. I've looked into Naas a bit, as well as other suggestions here. I don't think I'd want to live downtown, amoungst the hustle and bustle, loud nights, crowds, etc. I'd like to be within a decent commute, and have a bit of a more relaxed feel, whilst allowing the girls to get a fairly cheap train or bus into the city on the odd weekends when they want to get out for more adventurous shopping, etc.

I would want to keep the potential commute less than an hour each way, for sure, as I've done the horrendous commutes in southern California for years, and really want to shorten that a bit. I'd also LOVE to use public transport to get to and from work, to be able to leave the car with the wife and daughters. Will I have luck with this from Naas, or south of Dublin?

Although I'd love to live right in Citywest for purposes of getting to/from work, it doesn't sound like it would be real feasible if there's not a lot of shopping and entertainment in the area...?

Thanks again, all!!!

Victor

Oh, which end of Citywest you are working in may have an influence. Citywest is two miles north-south.

ocsfan wrote: »

Wow, some great advice here. I'm so grateful for all of the suggestions. I'm definitely open to paying 1200-1300, would just like to keep that expense lower if possible. I've looked into Naas a bit, as well as other suggestions here. I don't think I'd want to live downtown, amoungst the hustle and bustle, loud nights, crowds, etc.

Plenty of quiet locations in the city centre.

I would want to keep the potential commute less than an hour each way, for sure, as I've done the horrendous commutes in southern California for years, and really want to shorten that a bit. I'd also LOVE to use public transport to get to and from work, to be able to leave the car with the wife and daughters. Will I have luck with this from Naas, or south of Dublin?

South Dublin would be a much better idea for public transport. The trick would be to find a service that would drop you at Citywest (walk), Newlands Cross (bus) or Red Cow (Luas tram).

South Dublin
Luas Red Line tram www.luas.ie
http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/65b/
http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/69/
http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/77a/
http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/77x1/

Naas
http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1324572943-126.pdf
http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1250602070-130.pdf

Although I'd love to live right in Citywest for purposes of getting to/from work, it doesn't sound like it would be real feasible if there's not a lot of shopping and entertainment in the area...?

Week to week shopping would mostly be covered by the shopping centre in Citywest: http://www.citywestshoppingcentre.com/ I'm not sure about clothes, household, etc. Otherwise http://www.thesquare.ie/ isn't too far away and there are www.liffeyvalley.ie/ and www.dundrum.ie (but keep the ladies away from that one ) Entertainment in Citywest would be limited to pubs and restaurants, but there are big cinemas in The Square http://www.imccinemas.ie/home.asp?idcinema=34and Liffey Valley http://www.myvue.com/home/cinema/dublin Otherwise, there is gym, sports clubs and a small theatre in Tallaght. Much greater choice in the city. Be choosy about pubs and clubs in Tallaght - to call some 'colourful' would be immensely generous.

5500

The above link to the house in belfry road isn't bad at all. It would be a 10/15 minute walk into the actual industrial estate for you. There's a shopping centre in citywest itself, although its not very large its got all the basics covered - http://www.citywestshoppingcentre.com/ Whilst citywest is on the outskirts of the city its by no means in the middle of nowhere. From the luas stop at the shopping centre it takes about 40 minutes on the Luas into central Dublin.

You've also got the square in Tallaght and liffey valley shopping centre in Clondalkin which would be bigger "malls" which are about a 10 minute drive away, a couple of parks and town centres/villages close by aswell in rathcoole/saggart/clondalkin/tallaght/lucan

ocsfan

Thanks again, all. Job is in Magna Business Park. We spent quite a bit of time in Athlone, a year ago, and actually loved it - that kind of town/atmosphere worked really well for me...

But that aside, I'm still a bit confused. We've been to Tallaght - spent a week there about 3 years ago, and have been to Dublin several times, but thinking about where to live? That's a bigger problem...

Gary The Gamer

Don't live in Citywest. There is little going for it. The ideal of commuting by public transport will only waste more of your day and force you to live in certain areas. A max of 30 minutes in a car will give you lots of options to live in nearby towns.

JupiterKid

OP - if you liked living in Athlone then perhaps Naas might appeal to you - it's about the same size as Athlone and a 20 minute drive on the dual carriageway to Citywest but in the direction of rush hour traffic. Sallins is an attractive satellite village oif Naas located on the Grand canal.

There's also the small town of Blessington which is nestled in a very scenic area beside the lakes and the Wicklow mountains and is served by Dublin city bus.

In Dublin itself, the suburbs of Rathfarnham, Templeogue, Knocklyon, Firhouse and Rathfarnham are all quite close to Citywest but family size houses would rent for €1,400+ pm. Lucan is a huge area and also close to Citywest and house rentals would probably be a bit more modest here.

There is also the northern edge of Tallaght - areas like Kingswood and Belgard Heights which IMO are the nicest part of Tallaght and have the advantage of being located right on the LUAS light rail line between Citywest and Dublin city centre.

MadsL

MadsL wrote: »

To be honest, unless you are absolutely wed to the suburban dream, I would give your daughters the great experience of living slap bang in the middle of a European capital city and consider apartment living in the city centre. The north inner city would suit if you plan to take the LUAS into work. If not, I've commuted out to Citywest from Smithfield and it is no more than 30-40 minutes in the mornings.

Gary The Gamer wrote: »

Terrible advice.

Wow. Short and to the point. As this a discussion forum, how about discussing my advice and saying why you think it is terrible advice.

ocsfan, could you describe what your current location is like, and what you like about it. Maybe we can match somethings about it? Is it urban/rural, surburban/townhouse?

The reason I suggested city centre is that I wouldn't move halfway around the world (as I have done - I just moved to New Mexico) to live in somewhere dull and ordinary, like Tallaght or Naas. You have the opportunity to enjoy a capital city in Europe rather than a dull provincial town.

Either way tell your daughters to thin their closets, they won't get a walk-in in Ireland that is for sure.

GavMan

If you head out to Naas then it will be difficult for your girls to access Dublin City.

Head to Daft.ie and check out lettings in Co. Dublin and then sub select places like Rathcoole, Aylesbury, Firhouse, Rathmines, Knocklyon, Ballycullen, Adamstown, Lucan, Templeouge and you should find something there.


On a related now....rent rates in Dublin....mental

Solair

One thing to keep in mind if you are looking at renting a place is that the only really good internet access available is from the cable company UPC (goes up to 120mbit/s). Other services tend to be DSL-based only.

Be *very* wary of adverts on DAFT saying that the house / apartment has cable TV. Often they just tick that box if it has cable or satellite TV.

Ask the person showing you the property to show you the cable TV connection point. This should be a box with a cable company logo on it on the wall i.e. UPC or it's old predecessor brands: NTL or CableLink. If you see what looks like a satellite installation i.e. 2 coax cables coming straight through the wall or any boxes with SKY logos on them, then you don't have cable.

Also, I have noticed that a lot of advertisers tick washer and dryer when they have actually got a combined washer-dryer which is OK as a washer, but utterly useless as a dryer.

That being said, you can pick up a reasonably decent condenser-dryer in any of the major electrical stores near by for a few hundred Euro. It can be a very definitely worth while investment if you've a family & plan to spend a decently long time in Dublin.

Check absolutely everything in the property before you rent i.e. check that showers have adequate pressure, check that the appliances work, that the beds / furniture etc are all in good order.

Also, note (and photograph) any damage before you sign the lease and have the landlord sign that inventory too.

The Irish (and also the UK) rental market is really badly regulated compared to much of Europe. The majority of landlords are also amateurs with one or a small number of properties rather than investment groups or companies.
Also, property management companies vary from good to horrendous.

Basically, go in with your eyes open and make sure that everything's exactly as you expect it to be before signing anything.

Also, make very sure that the property and rental agreement are registered with the PRTB (Private Rental Tenancies Board) www.prtb.ie

One other thing, I would strongly advise against - Do not rent anywhere with electric storage heating. We had this in two properties we rented and it is astronomically expensive to run compared to natural gas, oil etc.

The majority of houses in urban Ireland tend to be heated by water-filled radiators and a natural-gas furnace. Some suburban houses may have oil-fired furnaces. To be honest, it doesn't make much difference and both systems run automatically and maintenance free other than the usual annual check up.

Water heating systems also come in a few varieties:

Gas-fired / oil fired heating system heating the hot water tank.
Electric heating (immersion) heats the same tank so you can use it in summer / top it up with a boost of electric heat etc.
Some more modern houses may also have solar panels on the roof heating that system.

A lot of homes also have instantaneous electric showers. These are mounted in the shower cubical and heat the water electrically (safely - they are specifically designed and installed with water safety in mind & used throughout Ireland and Britain). These are quite handy and cost-effective, but some older, lower-power varieties tend to produce rather low-pressure showers.

Also shop around for the best value gas and electricity provider. There are a few and they tend to have various different bundles. You can save quite a bit by picking the right combination (like up to 15% per year).

Some homes may also have night-rate power meters, so if you are electrically heating water, or doing dishwashing etc you can usually do it after 11pm / 12am to get 50% off the usual power rate.

Typically, you'll programme the hot water system with a timer to heat over night.
A lot of European dishwashers, dryers and washing machines also have delay timers built in to avail of this cheaper rate power.

Oh yeah, one other tip:

Garbage collection in Ireland is fully liberalised and commercial and it comes with painful charges to ensure you recycle. So, again you need to pick a 'bin provider'. There may be several in your area. They will deliver several bins (wheelie trash cans) to your house for various different types of trash. All systems incentivize recycling / composting so, the more you separate, the less you pay. A lot of areas have pay-by-weight systems where there's an RFID tag in the handle of the trash can and the truck weighs it and sends you a bill every so often

My advise is shop around on this too. You can save a lot of money. There tends to be quite a few different plans ranging from annual flat fees, to pre-payment to online top up systems etc etc.. It's all rather like mobile phone service!

To sumarise :

Ask lost of questions about these kinds of practical things when viewing the house and don't be shy about poking around and checking things.

Victor

You might have a look at the threads linked form here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056630549 to see what bills you are likely to have to pay.

Regarding taxes, there are two NPPR (€200/year) and the Household Charge (€100/year, but will change hugely in 2013). Currently there are no water charges (unless you live in a rural location), but expect them in the next few years. Ensure that the landlord, not you, will be paying both. If the property is an apartment or otherwise has service charges, again ensure that the landlord, not you, will be paying. TV licence (€160/property) is mandatory for all devices with a tuner connections. The landlord should insure his building, but you need to insure your contents, occupiers liability, etc.

You will need to pay your own Motor Tax, which can vary widely (€157-1,683/year) depending on the vehicle (not location), so make sure you check the tax when buying a car.

ocsfan

Well, there's an update! I got the Green Card Permit! So now, we're really down to it. I think the two areas I've been focusing on are Bray and Naas, but open to other suggestions. I think I've ruled out Lucan, Clondalkin, and probably Tallaght. I'd LOVE to live in Citywest and be able to go home for lunch and never commute again (I've been doing it for years), but the lack of things for the kids to do in Citywest makes me think that that's not a great option. I'd probably rule out places like Blessington, Rathcoole, and maybe Saggart for the same reason - very little for the girls to do.

I've also been looking at some other areas that were mentioned: Firhouse, Knocklyon, Ballyboden - all along the southern edge of Dublin, but I'm still open to suggestions. Basically, I'd like to be somewhere that there's things like a Cinema, shopping for the girls, with reasonable access to Dublin City Centre, but not be in the thick of the city and them being safe is obviously a big factor.

Thanks for all of the suggestions - I'd love more ideas on areas to avoid, considering the requirements.

listermint

Have you considered Belgard Heights?

Its a mature enough estate, has always been family friendly and is 10 minutes drive to Citywest, you could come home for lunch.

The Luas access is 5 minutes walk from there and you can have access to City west via the luas (so no need for car for commute) or you can access the luas for travel to the city centre. Its on bus routes also and has immediate access to the M50 for travel to and from the airport or the N2 which has access to all major motorways.

Housing is typical suburban Ireland 3-4 Bedroom homes. There is local newsagents / butchers there. There is a local shopping centre (dunnes Stores and also an Aldi) You can travel 5 minutes to the square shopping centre if you have larger retail requirements.

Having grown up here and locally I think its ideally located and is as safe as suburban dublin gets.

ocsfan

Thanks, listermint! It sounds ideal. I hadn't really heard of that specific area, but looking on Daft, I don't see it listed as a searchable area. It's in Dublin 24? Would that be the only way to search for that area?

Thanks again!

Victor

It is at the north end of Tallaght, so search for "Dublin 24" or "Tallaght".

MadsL

Congrats on the Green Card!!! (Permission to Remain doesn't have the same ring)


Are people really recommending Tallaght for this family? Oh boy.

I'd suggest Dublin 6/6W

Here's some 3 beds in your price range.

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1273665
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1269510

And here's a lovely house in Rathgar at 1500 (really nice Georgian suburb)
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1272657

With any of these a very safe, vibrant nightlife student area is about a mile away with clubs, cinema, good restuarants and easy access to the city and taxis not costing the girls a fortune.

They won't have to deal as much with the more 'colourful' characters of D24

ciaran_h

ocsfan wrote: »

Well, there's an update! I got the Green Card Permit! So now, we're really down to it. I think the two areas I've been focusing on are Bray and Naas, but open to other suggestions. I think I've ruled out Lucan, Clondalkin, and probably Tallaght. I'd LOVE to live in Citywest and be able to go home for lunch and never commute again (I've been doing it for years), but the lack of things for the kids to do in Citywest makes me think that that's not a great option. I'd probably rule out places like Blessington, Rathcoole, and maybe Saggart for the same reason - very little for the girls to do.

I've also been looking at some other areas that were mentioned: Firhouse, Knocklyon, Ballyboden - all along the southern edge of Dublin, but I'm still open to suggestions. Basically, I'd like to be somewhere that there's things like a Cinema, shopping for the girls, with reasonable access to Dublin City Centre, but not be in the thick of the city and them being safe is obviously a big factor.

Thanks for all of the suggestions - I'd love more ideas on areas to avoid, considering the requirements.

Dundrum rathfarnham

listermint

MadsL wrote: »

Congrats on the Green Card!!! (Permission to Remain doesn't have the same ring)


Are people really recommending Tallaght for this family? Oh boy.

I'd suggest Dublin 6/6W

Here's some 3 beds in your price range.

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1273665
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1269510

And here's a lovely house in Rathgar at 1500 (really nice Georgian suburb)
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1272657

With any of these a very safe, vibrant nightlife student area is about a mile away with clubs, cinema, good restuarants and easy access to the city and taxis not costing the girls a fortune.

They won't have to deal as much with the more 'colourful' characters of D24

Yes madl I recommend belgard heights, unless you have any specific experience of the area then I'd recommend you don't say anything at all.

I grew up there, I have no colourful friends as you suggest by your snide tallaght comments.

The area is great its quiet, and is good for families with many links and things to do. Has a cinema and theatre local. But sure you probably knew that already.

I had more trouble in cabinteely when I lived there than I ever had in belgard.

Oh and its commuting cycling distance to his job, something your suggestion doesn't offer.

MadsL

Not trying to be snide, he asked for a safe area.

Would you recommend Tallaght generally (not specifically) for two young American girls coming to live in the country (and Europe) for the first time as being a "safe area".

"I have no colourful friends as you suggest by your snide tallaght comments"

I never said anything about your friends, I said D24 was an area where you are more likely to meet "colourful" character than Rathmines.

Truthfully, where would you advise them to go out safely for their first night out?
Rathmines/City Centre or Square in Tallaght?

And, out of interest, how much would a taxi run you after a night in the centre of Dublin?

sky2424

MadsL wrote: »

Not trying to be snide, he asked for a safe area.

Would you recommend Tallaght generally (not specifically) for two young American girls coming to live in the country (and Europe) for the first time as being a "safe area".

"I have no colourful friends as you suggest by your snide tallaght comments"

I never said anything about your friends, I said D24 was an area where you are more likely to meet "colourful" character than Rathmines.

Truthfully, where would you advise them to go out safely for their first night out?
Rathmines/City Centre or Square in Tallaght?

And, out of interest, how much would a taxi run you after a night in the centre of Dublin?

Agreed- Wouldnt suggest Tallaght to anyone whos moving to Ireland for the first time. I just think there are easier places to settle in- and theres no point getting personal about it, everyones entitled to their own opinion.

Aside from that, it appears that the kids are high up in the priority list and on that basis I would rule tallaght out.

CianRyan

You seem to be confusing all of Tallaght for a very small part of the area, which is intact a lot closer to Citywest than the rest of Tallaght.
Citywest is grand place for teens, they can hop on the Luas up to The Square, about 10 minutes away, then the city is about 40 minutes away.
The Square's got loads of shops, a brand new Cinema and a fair few places to eat and drink, when they're old enough of course.

Check out Old Bawn in Tallaght too, right by The Square but just far enough away to still be quiet and very safe.
You can get the Luas, drive or cycle from here all not taking longer then 15-20 minutes including walking to the Luas. Worth a look.

rubadubduba

op,have a look at celbridge its not far from citywest and it has a train thats also close and goes to citycenter.

http://maps.google.ie/maps?hl=en&rlz=1R2AURU_enIE502&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bpcl=35466521&biw=1024&bih=568&wrapid=tlif135068452233910&q=celbridge&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x4867710ef88df3cf:0xa00c7a99731ecd0,Celbridge,+Co.+Kildare&gl=ie&sa=X&ei=h8-BUL2-D4OYhQfs8ICoCQ&ved=0CIEBELYD