People who never buy?

lima

jmayo wrote: »

Ehh ever hear the saying "life isn't fair" ?

Look at this another way.

In the mid 2000s some people who didn't even finish school were making more money than those who had studied for years and had college degrees/professional qualifications.
Was that fair ?

In the late 90s you had eejits with a few months IT conversion courses walking into jobs that paid ridiculous amounts only for some longer term employees who had proper qualifications and struggled up through the ranks having to carry them because a) they really knew fook all and b) they didn't really care about IT as it was just the thing to be in for job prospects.
Was that fair ?

You played in a under 12 match and ref gave his favourite pet favourable treatment meaning you lost.
Was that fair ?

What is going on at the moment regarding property is going to bust or reverse in some fashion.
You know well you cannot continue to have a property market such as in Ireland where normal commerical rules and sanity are ignored or even turned on it's head.

Will that be fair ?
To some people probably not.

Yes, I have heard of life is not fair. It is especially not in Ireland, and nobody does anything about it.

lima

mariaalice wrote: »

I some what agree with you, one of my children would like to eventually buy near where she grew up, but while it was doable for her father and myself with very modes jobs and not much money and interest rates of 16%... it would be beyond impossible for any one today with similar jobs to buy in the same area, Where I disagree with you and its the same argument I have with my child it its not that you cant afford a home it is that you cant afford a home in the area you would like.

Its the same old south Dublin argument...south Dublin is both a actual place and a metaphysical place, it a place where generations of professional and state employees live, an area where education is valued , where discreet wealth is valued but not flashy wealth, where you take you children to France on holiday as opposed to a package holiday to Spain, good transport links, a nice environment and so on and so on. People want it because it is a pleasant way to live. It could be any part of Dublin or Ireland and housing has become very expensive in such areas. I do think wealth had become much more concentrated in certain areas , due mainly to money being inherited.

Not sure about the south Dublin paragraph but there are other places in Dublin that are as you describe.

Question is why population growth was not planned for? Why should people work harder for less than what their parents got? Dublin should have huge developments that can accommodate all these people, yet the govt is withholding huge stocks of apartments so that prices will rise. Why is no one doing anything about it?

lima

jmayo wrote: »

See post 78 where lima laments the lot of current 20 something generation who are faced with rising house prices, while at the same time everyone knows they will be able to save less due to higher taxes, less salary growth, etc.

They basically said only people with rich parents or inheirtance will succeed in buying houses.

My two examples were how during our tech and construction bubbles a lot of people who had busted their nuts getting good education were only as well off or even less well off as those who might have a lot less education.

Ulimately my point was that life isn't necessarily fair and just because you bust your nuts getting a degree, education, etc doesn't mean everything will be a bed of roses.

IMHO buying into the mantra that going to third level, etc is a guaranteed path to success is as false as Americans buying into the myth that everyone can live the American Dream.
It just aint so anymore and I am not sure if ever was.

The Irish Dream:

Doing an apprenticeship and making as much money as possible from 1998-2004, buying a huge house, getting laid off and getting to keep your house forever.

Mrs OBumble

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Yes Ireland is notorious for earthquakes. Even with 20 years on Ireland will have very few houses that will be effected by rising sea levels.

Different countries have different risks. No earthquakes here - but far more risk of flooding, rising sea levels, mass unemployment if US multinationals stop getting their tax breaks, and (IMHO) domestic terrorism.

But my point is that intelligent people are not seeing property-and-only-property as a good strategy. Some people had purchased say 6-10 rental properties in eastern Christchurch as their retirement strategy. Having them all together makes the property management a lot easier. But it exposes you to a lot more risk if things go wrong.

whippet

lima wrote: »

4. I do not have a chip on my shoulder, you are wrong. What I do not like is that 'fair play' is non-existant in Ireland. You need to have rich relatives to inherit money from to live in the huge D4/D6 houses, or else you need to screw someone over. For the people who are self-made - fair play and well done to them. But it's really about who you know in Ireland. Jobs for the boys and all that.

or you could just earn the money yourself to buy the big D4/6 house you crave so badly ... but as with anything in high demand the price will be reflective of the demand.
It seems ironic that you lament over the derelict parts of dublin and it's potential for high rise cheap accommodation ... but all the while use this as an argument as to why 'large' city houses are not affordable for the average joe soap.

lima

whippet wrote: »

or you could just earn the money yourself to buy the big D4/6 house you crave so badly ... but as with anything in high demand the price will be reflective of the demand.
It seems ironic that you lament over the derelict parts of dublin and it's potential for high rise cheap accommodation ... but all the while use this as an argument as to why 'large' city houses are not affordable for the average joe soap.

You have skipped over a relevant part of my comment where I said:

"For the people who are self-made - fair play and well done to them."

These people earned money by themselves to buy the big D4/D6 house. I do not crave this personally, but if I happened to be as successful as them I would be happy too. They are winners, well done to them.

It does not seem ironic. You are putting your words in my mouth, which is not a very clever thing to do. Of course high rise accommodation (I never said cheap either, you are again putting words in my mouth) is not going to make a 6br D4 house cheaper. But it will make apartments cheaper. Look at a 2br in Ranelagh, 450sqft goes for about 280-320k, which should be illegal as you cannot live in such a small area like that. But if say for example a highrise (think Melbourne Docklands high-rise living) was build in the docklands or south inner city (dolphin/fatima flats get knocked down for e.g) then this would bring down city centre apartments to an affordable level.

on_my_oe

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Different countries have different risks. No earthquakes here - but far more risk of flooding, rising sea levels, mass unemployment if US multinationals stop getting their tax breaks, and (IMHO) domestic terrorism.

But my point is that intelligent people are not seeing property-and-only-property as a good strategy. Some people had purchased say 6-10 rental properties in eastern Christchurch as their retirement strategy. Having them all together makes the property management a lot easier. But it exposes you to a lot more risk if things go wrong.

To be fair we didn't know there was a fault under us, although it shouldn't have been a surprise given the little trembles we felt.

---

Our retirement strategy won't involve concentrating assets in any country - after Cyprus we are hedging our bets far and wide.

Life isn't fair, and being honest there are times when I feel like I got kicked a bit more often than other people, but you have to deal with the situation at hand - that said, I won't be getting over anyone sitting in 'their' house not paying the mortgage.

Sleepy

I don't know if the problem is with housing policy, that large swathes of the Irish population are scumbags or if I'm just a snob but in my experience, most of areas in Dublin where a modest 3 bed terrace/semi comes on the market for anything less 250k aren't places you'd want to rear your children, even when geographically speaking these should be desirable areas to live in due to their proximity to employment and public amenities.

handlemaster

Sleepy wrote: »

I don't know if the problem is with housing policy, that large swathes of the Irish population are scumbags or if I'm just a snob but in my experience, most of areas in Dublin where a modest 3 bed terrace/semi comes on the market for anything less 250k aren't places you'd want to rear your children, even when geographically speaking these should be desirable areas to live in due to their proximity to employment and public amenities.[/QUO

the scumbags are the minority they just are the most promenant with their anti social behaviour. Even in the worst places for antisocial behaviour its still a minority that are scum

lima

Sleepy wrote: »

I don't know if the problem is with housing policy, that large swathes of the Irish population are scumbags or if I'm just a snob but in my experience, most of areas in Dublin where a modest 3 bed terrace/semi comes on the market for anything less 250k aren't places you'd want to rear your children, even when geographically speaking these should be desirable areas to live in due to their proximity to employment and public amenities.

That a core feature of Irish culture is out of control kids is another debate. If you're happy paying an astronomical amount of money for a house relative to other countries then it is going to impact your quality of life as you pay it off with such a large amount of your money.

Ray Palmer

handlemaster wrote: »

the scumbags are the minority they just are the most promenant with their anti social behaviour. Even in the worst places for antisocial behaviour its still a minority that are scum

While I agree with that mostly it is much more complex than that. Your kids go to school with these people's children and a bad apple does effect the who crate.
Try being a good kid in the local school in a deprived area and you won't do well socially or academically. There will be a lot stacked against you and bully will be a problem. Growing up near to one of the worst areas in the country and you could walk into the class room and point at the kids that came from the bad area and we wore uniforms. A close friend of mine came from the area and "bullying" because he didn't wear a track suit and carry on like his neighbours was vicious. I wouldn't call it bullying really as it was out an out violence verging on attempted murder. This includes people he new most of his childhood and would have been friends.
There is a lot of anti-social behaviour of minor levels that wouldn't register but are acceptable by a local community. It could be as simple as pirate videos and selling stolen goods to covering for local criminals at all levels of criminality.
I certainly would not live in parts of Dublin due to the dangers and certainly wouldn't want to raise kids there. I completely get why some people would refuse to buy in these areas and I think they are right.

The issue I have is the idea that the government should sort this out by building property for people as a solution. They created these places the first time around so it isn't a good idea to get them to do it again. It is a social issue not a housing issue.

BeerSteakBirds

Johnnyhpipe wrote: »

How do you pay your rent when you retire?

You retire to a country with no rip off prices and a better climate which ensures you get to live longer while enjoying your pension at the same time.

You invested the money elsewhere which would have been used to buy a house and you get a far better return which is also more liquid and easier to cash in and spend.


You are not tied down to one location and can hence move countries or towns if you lose your job and have to get another one.

You are not gambling most of your income on the property roulette wheel

renting makes an awful lot of sense.

If you want to buy a home , then buy one in the place you wish to retire to.

I'll be damned if I want to retire to Tallaght , [no offence ]

Sleepy

Ray Palmer wrote: »

The issue I have is the idea that the government should sort this out by building property for people as a solution. They created these places the first time around so it isn't a good idea to get them to do it again. It is a social issue not a housing issue.

Well, since most those bad apples live in social housing, it's both.

Sleepy

Sleepy wrote: »

I don't know if the problem is with housing policy, that large swathes of the Irish population are scumbags or if I'm just a snob but in my experience, most of areas in Dublin where a modest 3 bed terrace/semi comes on the market for anything less 250k aren't places you'd want to rear your children, even when geographically speaking these should be desirable areas to live in due to their proximity to employment and public amenities.

Have you ever looked at Rush Lusk and Skerries or at Kinselly.

jonah_whale

lima wrote: »

That a core feature of Irish culture is out of control kids is another debate. If you're happy paying an astronomical amount of money for a house relative to other countries then it is going to impact your quality of life as you pay it off with such a large amount of your money.

houses in dublin are not astronomical relative to other european capitals or western capitals , in fact , they are slightly below average , houses in new zealand are kips compared to ireland yet are more expensive

on_my_oe

jonah_whale wrote: »

houses in dublin are not astronomical relative to other european capitals or western capitals , in fact , they are slightly below average , houses in new zealand are kips compared to ireland yet are more expensive

The majority of houses in NZ are detached, more spacious, include off street parking for several cars plus a garage you can park at least one car in, if not two. There is a separate utility room plus an outside line.

The downside is insulation is crap (but improving, thanks to grants), and yes, purchasing quite expensive. The government is trying to help by putting a 29% minimum deposit in place plus assistance to first home buyers. Also 'social housing' aka Housing New Zealand properties are usually grouped together so you can frequently avoid the feral folk.

MouseTail

BeerSteakBirds wrote: »

You invested the money elsewhere which would have been used to buy a house and you get a far better return which is also more liquid and easier to cash in and spend.

But a mortgagee has much more disposable income to invest over the lifetime of the mortgage than a renter.

BeerSteakBirds

MouseTail wrote: »

But a mortgagee has much more disposable income to invest over the lifetime of the mortgage than a renter.

Show me some numbers . Do you realize that telling people to invest their money in a house is actually giving unsolicited unqualified unguaranteed investment advice ? If property is the way to go , then why Irish property ?


It is nuts to believe somebody should jump into a pyramid scheme because rents are artificially high or something along those lines. Money wont magically land out of the sky in the future just like it is not happening today.

what happens to the mortgagee if he loses his job and has to move, what does he do then ? how many houses do you expect him to rent or buy ?

Sleepy

mariaalice wrote: »

Have you ever looked at Rush Lusk and Skerries or at Kinselly.

I've not looked in detail as I'm a few years away from having a deposit but the first three are more commuter towns than Dublin "proper". Kinsealy looks interesting but I've been told a high proportion of those living around that area are settled (and not so setlled) travellers, a group with a bad track record of being good neighbours in my experience.

Tar.Aldarion

I want to move around in m y life, choose a dozen different nice places to live, work in different countries...and pay a pension at a considerable amount, and save when I can.
Buying a house seems crazy to me because of that, who knows where I want to go and what hassle in would be in 1/3/5/10 years?

I'd have no problem buying a house outright on a good pension and also you don't have to live right in a place that workers want to live.

Grandpa Hassan

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I want to move around in m y life, choose a dozen different nice places to live, work in different countries...and pay a pension at a considerable amount, and save when I can.
Buying a house seems crazy to me because of that, who knows where I want to go and what hassle in would be in 1/3/5/10 years?

I'd have no problem buying a house outright on a good pension and also you don't have to live right in a place that workers want to live.

That is great. You are managing it perfectly, and you are nicely set up. But not many people who rent actually put extra money away to build up the savings / pension commensurate with those who have paid a mortgage and have an unencmbered asset at retirement. I know people in their late 30s who rent and have zero savings because either they have none left, or they see what is left as spending money. If it all went on a mortgage instead, they would have something to show for it at the end.

Sleepy

Sleepy wrote: »

I've not looked in detail as I'm a few years away from having a deposit but the first three are more commuter towns than Dublin "proper". Kinsealy looks interesting but I've been told a high proportion of those living around that area are settled (and not so setlled) travellers, a group with a bad track record of being good neighbours in my experience.

Some times you have to accept that you are not going to get every thing you want you are a little bit obsessed with "scubags" and now it settled travellers, and its not just in Dublin that this is happening there are people in London saying I want to live in Chiswick but they can only afford Essex.

Rush and Lusk are in Dublin and would be very nice places to raise a family lovey beaches ect.

Ray Palmer

BeerSteakBirds wrote: »

You retire to a country with no rip off prices and a better climate which ensures you get to live longer while enjoying your pension at the same time.

You invested the money elsewhere which would have been used to buy a house and you get a far better return which is also more liquid and easier to cash in and spend.


You are not tied down to one location and can hence move countries or towns if you lose your job and have to get another one.

You are not gambling most of your income on the property roulette wheel

renting makes an awful lot of sense.

If you want to buy a home , then buy one in the place you wish to retire to.

I'll be damned if I want to retire to Tallaght , [no offence ]

Most of this has already been answered and pointed out as no really viable or reliant on downgrading you lifestyle/abandoning your home country /friend/family.
The money you spend on rent will normally be higher than a mortgage especially over time, you won't have money you would spend on a house to save as you spend it on your rent. You also want to be pretty good at investing your money to get the return you need.
In other words this is extremely unlikely to work and a massive gamble. Fine if you want to take that risk but to claim it is a great plan or smart move is not correct.

Tar.Aldarion

Grandpa Hassan wrote: »

That is great. You are managing it perfectly, and you are nicely set up. But not many people who rent actually put extra money away to build up the savings / pension commensurate with those who have paid a mortgage and have an unencmbered asset at retirement. I know people in their late 30s who rent and have zero savings because either they have none left, or they see what is left as spending money. If it all went on a mortgage instead, they would have something to show for it at the end.

Yeah true, if people can't manage their money then they should be doing something like that, but people who cant manage their money never seem to see that there is a problem.
My father would have no pension but he has his house, which is most of what he needs. The shockingly low amount people put into their pension on average means they should be doing something else anyway.

Sleepy

mariaalice wrote: »

Some times you have to accept that you are not going to get every thing you want you are a little bit obsessed with "scubags" and now it settled travellers, and its not just in Dublin that this is happening there are people in London saying I want to live in Chiswick but they can only afford Essex.

Rush and Lusk are in Dublin and would be very nice places to raise a family lovey beaches ect.

Oh, I agree that you'll never get everything you want (short of a lotto win and, even then, you've no idea what the neighbours are like until you actually live with them).

Rush and Lusk will certainly be looked at when I get around to buying.

TBH, like most in my early 30's with a young family, I want to be able to provide the same sort of lifestyle for my kids as my parents provided me with: a detached 5 bed in a nice but not quite prestigious suburb.

My parents were able to buy that in Galway in 1994 for £84k. That's circa €170k when adjusted for inflation. The last (and by a long way, the worst) house on that road sold earlier this year for €335k. So, not quite double but as close as makes little difference. And that neighborhood while still decent wouldn't be as good now as it was then.

I earn a similar salary level to what my father did at the time he bought that house yet even bringing my expectations down to a 4 bed semi-detached version of that home in a similar neighbourhood, I'm not getting that for anything under €250k, or over 3 times what my parents could obtain better for!

Given that back then, the real trouble-makers tended to be confined to ghetto-ised council estates or high-rise monstrosities, maybe, as a result of changes in social housing policy, there aren't really as many "good" neighbourhoods nowadays and that's what's making it so hard to afford the ones that are easily identifiable such as Clontarf, Malahide, Blackrock, etc.

We all know that life isn't fair. Knowing that doesn't make it any less upsetting that even when you've "done everything right" regarding education and career, you're left with little to no realistic chance of ever obtaining the same lifestyle that the generation before you had (lottery/inheritance windfalls notwithstanding).

MouseTail

Sleepy wrote: »

Oh, I agree that you'll never get everything you want (short of a lotto win and, even then, you've no idea what the neighbours are like until you actually live with them).

Rush and Lusk will certainly be looked at when I get around to buying.

TBH, like most in my early 30's with a young family, I want to be able to provide the same sort of lifestyle for my kids as my parents provided me with: a detached 5 bed in a nice but not quite prestigious suburb.

My parents were able to buy that in Galway in 1994 for £84k. That's circa €170k when adjusted for inflation. The last (and by a long way, the worst) house on that road sold earlier this year for €335k. So, not quite double but as close as makes little difference. And that neighborhood while still decent wouldn't be as good now as it was then.

I earn a similar salary level to what my father did at the time he bought that house yet even bringing my expectations down to a 4 bed semi-detached version of that home in a similar neighbourhood, I'm not getting that for anything under €250k, or over 3 times what my parents could obtain better for!

Given that back then, the real trouble-makers tended to be confined to ghetto-ised council estates or high-rise monstrosities, maybe, as a result of changes in social housing policy, there aren't really as many "good" neighbourhoods nowadays and that's what's making it so hard to afford the ones that are easily identifiable such as Clontarf, Malahide, Blackrock, etc.

We all know that life isn't fair. Knowing that doesn't make it any less upsetting that even when you've "done everything right" regarding education and career, you're left with little to no realistic chance of ever obtaining the same lifestyle that the generation before you had (lottery/inheritance windfalls notwithstanding).

Ireland was a very different country, socially and economically 20 years ago. Your fathers timing was impeccible, buying just before a period of rapid economic growth and expansion. I'm not sure any price comparison before the mid 90s is valid really, due to factors such as female labour force participation, lack of immigration etc.

Ray Palmer

MouseTail wrote: »

Ireland was a very different country, socially and economically 20 years ago. Your fathers timing was impeccible, buying just before a period of rapid economic growth and expansion. I'm not sure any price comparison before the mid 90s is valid really, due to factors such as female labour force participation, lack of immigration etc.

The world is a different place. Double incomes are expected in order to do the same one salary could have achieved. It is an inevitability of the social changes to increase the work force by having woman join it. Everything is a trade off and you can't expect things to remain the same indefinitely.

To expect a 5 bed house on a single average income is now unreasonable. Wanting it is no surprise but you won't get it ever again the time is passed in this country. Then again the time of people having 9+ kids is pretty much gone too. Things change, some for the better and some for the worst. Maybe your parents lived in a golden age for property affordability versus income.

I actually predict many family home in Dublin Suburbs will be split in the future as few will be able to afford the entire house in the future. That is what has happened in most capital cities it is just a matter of the time frame.

London is full of form single family homes converted they just happen to be Victorian. That basically tells you these had been affordable for individual families on one income back then is no longer the case.

meeeeh

MouseTail wrote: »

Ireland was a very different country, socially and economically 20 years ago. Your fathers timing was impeccible, buying just before a period of rapid economic growth and expansion. I'm not sure any price comparison before the mid 90s is valid really, due to factors such as female labour force participation, lack of immigration etc.

I agree with this.

Houses maybe were cheaper but I bet if you do a comparison in disposable income, the previous generations had less. Quality of life isn't only what kind of house you can afford. And as stated above family homes are noIw mostly (I am guessing) being bought by two income earners so it is not surprising that prices are higher.

Mrs OBumble

Sleepy wrote: »

TBH, like most in my early 30's with a young family, I want to be able to provide the same sort of lifestyle for my kids as my parents provided me with: a detached 5 bed in a nice but not quite prestigious suburb.

My parents were able to buy that in Galway in 1994 for £84k. That's circa €170k when adjusted for inflation. The last (and by a long way, the worst) house on that road sold earlier this year for €335k.

Guessing that you're the guy ... how many children do you expect your wife to bear? 'Cos if you're looking for 5brm, that's like a 7 or 8 kids. Not many families doing that these days, or houses built that large AFAIK.

Also, I'm curious where exactly your parents found that in a suburb which isn't quite so nice today? Salthill's the only place that springs to mind, and I'd see it as better today (now that the worse gaudy entertainment halls are gone), not worse. Knockers??? I didn't think there were too many 5brms there.

BeerSteakBirds

Ray Palmer wrote: »

Most of this has already been answered and pointed out as no really viable or reliant on downgrading you lifestyle/abandoning your home country /friend/family.
The money you spend on rent will normally be higher than a mortgage especially over time, you won't have money you would spend on a house to save as you spend it on your rent. You also want to be pretty good at investing your money to get the return you need.
In other words this is extremely unlikely to work and a massive gamble. Fine if you want to take that risk but to claim it is a great plan or smart move is not correct.

Show me the numbers, cost of insurance, maintenance etc and then prove to me that past performance will be repeated in the future . You cant'
Its all a big bluff. The gamble is in borrowing to invest. Thats some mental dichotomy there, a total compartmentalization of dreams from reality when you can call real investing a ''gamble'' when if done properly it is called not putting all your eggs in one basket and spreading risk and on the other hand you encourage someone to borrow to gamble on one house in one neighbourhood in one economy and tell him go on good lad .... nuts especially in a country like this one where there simply is not enough wealth to keep prices higher than in far wealthier capital cities, not short term , not medium term and not long term. Bubble prices will never return ever again. You can forget about it . There is no easy or sure way to make money unless someone takes commission off the top in which case they get a cut of everything sold whether it goes up or down

handlemaster

There a been a few view points expressed about renting all your life are there any posters in their 50/60/70 's here who have done that ? And how has it worked out ?

moxin

Sleepy wrote: »

TBH, like most in my early 30's with a young family, I want to be able to provide the same sort of lifestyle for my kids as my parents provided me with: a detached 5 bed in a nice but not quite prestigious suburb.

Given that back then, the real trouble-makers tended to be confined to ghetto-ised council estates or high-rise monstrosities, maybe, as a result of changes in social housing policy, there aren't really as many "good" neighbourhoods nowadays and that's what's making it so hard to afford the ones that are easily identifiable such as Clontarf, Malahide, Blackrock, etc..

This type of post gets on my wick to be blunt. You'd swear from your post that 90% of Dublin is ghetto-ised which it is not, its nowhere near that amount.

There are plenty of areas outside Clontarf, Malahide, Blackrock which are "good" neighbourhoods in your words, I see a chip on your shoulder about areas which are not "good". As you state you are in Clontarf, what's wrong with nearby Raheny for example??

Dredd_J

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I want to move around in m y life, choose a dozen different nice places to live, work in different countries...and pay a pension at a considerable amount, and save when I can.
Buying a house seems crazy to me because of that, who knows where I want to go and what hassle in would be in 1/3/5/10 years?

I'd have no problem buying a house outright on a good pension and also you don't have to live right in a place that workers want to live.

Thats what I was like 20 years ago.
Things have changed a few times since then though.
Always what I thought I wanted ended up changing every couple of years.

Sleepy

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Guessing that you're the guy ... how many children do you expect your wife to bear? 'Cos if you're looking for 5brm, that's like a 7 or 8 kids. Not many families doing that these days, or houses built that large AFAIK.

We've two and that's enough for us.

Also, I'm curious where exactly your parents found that in a suburb which isn't quite so nice today? Salthill's the only place that springs to mind, and I'd see it as better today (now that the worse gaudy entertainment halls are gone), not worse. Knockers??? I didn't think there were too many 5brms there.

Yep, Knocknacarra.

moxin wrote: »

This type of post gets on my wick to be blunt. You'd swear from your post that 90% of Dublin is ghetto-ised which it is not, its nowhere near that amount.

There are plenty of areas outside Clontarf, Malahide, Blackrock which are "good" neighbourhoods in your words, I see a chip on your shoulder about areas which are not "good". As you state you are in Clontarf, what's wrong with nearby Raheny for example??

Nothing wrong with Raheny at all. There are plenty of areas in the nearby areas that I'd be happy to buy a home in around the area: there'd be roads/estates in Fairview, Killester, Bayside, Sutton, even parts of Kilbarrack or Baldoyle that are quite nice. Only issue is affordability tbh.

ted1

Sleepy wrote: »

My parents were able to buy that in Galway in 1994 for £84k. That's circa €170k when adjusted for inflation. The last (and by a long way, the worst) house on that road sold earlier this year for €335k. So, not quite double but as close as makes little difference. And that neighborhood while still decent wouldn't be as good now as it was then.

what were the repayments on the house for 84k (€170k) compared to the house at €335k?

you'll probably find that the gap is much closer.