Ballinlough

froger

Just wondering if the Ballinlough area of the city is a good area to buy a house?

There are a good few properties on the market at the moment in the area, particularly in Pic-du-Jer Parc. With so many houses for sale in this estate I am wondering if people are trying to move away from it, for some reason, or it is just coincidence. Anybody know anything about the estate?

beer enigma

No reason I'm aware of and I live locally and know a good few living in the parc - pic-du-Jer is fine but tends to be quite a few rented properties which is possibly why they come up on the market more often.

Quite a sedate area but a good bus service into town and good for local schools, couple of decent pubs walkable. Also has Johnny Fries, one of the best chippers in town within 5 minutes walk

the beer revolu

Nice settled area. Close to town and well serviced. There are subsidence issues. Most houses have been underpinned at this stage but it is something to be aware of.

pwurple

Lovely settled area. No reason i know of not to buy there. Schools, bus route, all available. As above, when viewing ask about subsidence. Might be people who's children havegrown up and are downsizing?

murphym7

Great location. Grew up a few minutes away from there and parents still live around there. Close to schools, shops, town, Douglas, bus routes.

beer enigma

the beer revolu wrote: »

Nice settled area. Close to town and well serviced. There are subsidence issues. Most houses have been underpinned at this stage but it is something to be aware of.

Subsidence...what s
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Yep worth checking as insurance can be hard to get and very pricey

Faith

Really nice area, safe, quiet, close to all amenities.

Pic-du-Jer would have a high population of older people who've lived there all their lives. I imagine that a lot of the houses going for sale are due to family inheriting the house from an older generation. I doubt there's any reason people are actively trying to move away. I'd be very happy to live in there, and I'm very picky.

ABajaninCork

Oooh! I'd LOVE to live in Ballinlough. If I ever get lucky enough to buy a house, then that's one of the areas I'd like to live in. Didn't know about the subsidence issues in the area though. I know about the issues in Bishopstown, and Blackrock though. Is it just a South thing then?

And are there any supermarkets nearby? Excuse the ignorance, but I'm a blow-in Norrie...

Cape Clear

Not sure if a bank will sign off on a house in a an area of known subsidence

Faith

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Oooh! I'd LOVE to live in Ballinlough. If I ever get lucky enough to buy a house, then that's one of the areas I'd like to live in. Didn't know about the subsidence issues in the area though. I know about the issues in Bishopstown, and Blackrock though. Is it just a South thing then?

And are there any supermarkets nearby? Excuse the ignorance, but I'm a blow-in Norrie...

Driscolls on ballinlough road is big enough for your basics. Other than that, it's Douglas or town, neither of which are more than a couple of miles away.

DJ Hafez

I'm from Ballinlough and couldn't recommend it enough. Granted, some of the houses have quite small rooms and a lot need a refreshing throughout - but you couldn't really get a better place to live. Close to Douglas and the city with quiet enough streets and decent public transport links. All of the primary schools are excellent too.

As Andip said - The Golden Fry being within walking distance can be dangerous, yet delicious. In the winter, with the heat inside and the length of time waiting in the queue, you'll sweat off any weight you'd put on from eating it anyway!

pwurple

Cape Clear wrote: »

Not sure if a bank will sign off on a house in a an area of known subsidence

Banks will sign off on anything if the property insurers insure it. If it's been assessed as needing underpinning, and got it, should be fine.

Not all of them need it.

Stepping Stone

I live in Ballinlough, but nothing would convince me to buy here. Subsidence is huge issue. Some insurers have a blanket ban on insuring for subsidence in the entire area. I came across a house last year that had been underpinned on one side, seven years later the other side needed to be done. No insurance the second time though.

It is a lovely area, but you really need to get a really good structural survey done anywhere in this area.

Subsidence is an issue (for various reasons) in Blackrock, Ballintemple, Ballinlough, Turners Cross, Douglas, Glasheen, Wilton, Togher, Ballyphehane and Bishopstown.

Mahon seems ok, parts of the Skehard Rd near Supervalu, Grange and Donnybrook seem ok.

I deal with this through work and the amount of misery that subsidence causes is unreal. Good structural survey and ring around the insurance companies and go from there.

hoodwinked

Stepping Stone wrote: »

I live in Ballinlough, but nothing would convince me to buy here. Subsidence is huge issue. Some insurers have a blanket ban on insuring for subsidence in the entire area. I came across a house last year that had been underpinned on one side, seven years later the other side needed to be done. No insurance the second time though.

It is a lovely area, but you really need to get a really good structural survey done anywhere in this area.

Subsidence is an issue (for various reasons) in Blackrock, Ballintemple, Ballinlough, Turners Cross, Douglas, Glasheen, Wilton, Togher, Ballyphehane and Bishopstown.

Mahon seems ok, parts of the Skehard Rd near Supervalu, Grange and Donnybrook seem ok.

I deal with this through work and the amount of misery that subsidence causes is unreal. Good structural survey and ring around the insurance companies and go from there.

you can add donnybrook to that list,

grange and mahon are alright so far, but the issues are cropping up in houses built 50-60+ years ago, most of grange and mahon are still only about 30 years old, so we will have to wait and see....

Stepping Stone

hoodwinked wrote: »

you can add donnybrook to that list,

grange and mahon are alright so far, but the issues are cropping up in houses built 50-60+ years ago, most of grange and mahon are still only about 30 years old, so we will have to wait and see....

This is true. Some people are oblivious to it, I think others choose to bury their heads in the sand. I sometimes think it is like a chain reaction. One person does something about their structural issues and the neighbours start to follow.

Honestly though, I cannot emphasise enough the need for a good structural survey. Expect to pay at least €600. It is an investment. The number of people that I have had verbally abusing me cos their house is subsiding and they cut corners with their survey is unreal. It immediately becomes more expensive and difficult to resolve if you haven't had one.

Remember, your engineer should be correctly qualified and experienced and needs professional indemnity. You can then use their insurance if something goes wrong that they missed. You can also rely on them if something else goes wrong and your insurance is covering it, etc.

froger

Thanks for all the replies to this, haven't been checked in here for a while.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good Engineer that can carry out a decent structural survey?