Buying apartment in North Dublin - need advice

Marcin Z

Hi,

I'm looking for an advice regarding places such as Finglas north (st. margaret area), Santry, Northwood and Ashtown in terms of safety, public transport, shops and schools. I never lived in those places and not really have a time to rent out there in order to find out how does it like. Currently I\m renting in Crumlin and thinking of buying relatively new property. After spending some time on searching, I and my other half are thinking of buying our new home in North Dublin -but nothing is set in stone, yet The main reason is obviously the price and pretty fine standards of those apartments.
I'm interested wht is your opinion on these places? have you lived there? any experiences?

lima

Some apts are cheaper because they have pyrite, I'm not exactly sure which ones but I'd definitely look it up if one seems too good to be true.

Looking in northside myself, Santry is very cheap and convenient.

witchgirl26

I lived in Carrington in Northwood for about 2 years and really liked it. Bit of a walk out to the bus but good routes. Other than the buses though, there is no public transport serving out there. The shops in Northwood are good & you're about a 15 min (max) walk to Omni shopping centre. There's also an Aldi really handy to it.

Personally I wouldn't live in St. Margarets but that is mainly due to the amount of trouble I heard about there a few years back. I don't know if this has changed but it has coloured my view somewhat on the area. There are 3 estates of apartments in Northwood so if you're thinking of there, make sure you view some from each as they are really different. Also be aware that there is clamping in operation in all of them so if you have 2 cars, you may have to look at purchasing/renting a 2nd car park space. Ultimately that was one of the main reasons I left.

on_my_oe

Hampton Wood is in St Margarets; there was anti social behaviour approximately three years ago, which may or may not have been linked to a group relocated there by the council. They have now moved on, and things have improved in the last eighteen months. If you are looking at Hampton Wood, most of the trouble was by the Centra but it's ok now.

There is a reasonable amount of Poles in the area (and three Polish sklep including a large warehouse style supermarket), and in general there are plenty of young families too (of all nationalities).

Marcin Z

Thank you all for sharing your experience. How about Ashtown? it seems to be closer to town with railway connection. Any opinions on that?

Muahahaha

Marcin Z wrote: »

Thank you all for sharing your experience. How about Ashtown? it seems to be closer to town with railway connection. Any opinions on that?

Out of all the places you mentioned Ashtown would be my preference. I live in Charlestown , Finglas and while its not too bad around here I doubt I'm going to buy in the area. The council have moved a few unsavouries into the area over the last while and I'm not keen on paying money to permanently live near them. So for me its not a bad area to rent but I'd be nervous about buying here for the long term.

Ashtown is on my list because of the rail link to town, all the canals are due to be upgraded into a proper cycle track all the way to town. Phoenix Park gates are only a 5 minute walk from Ashtown and you also have the Tolka Valley park behind it too which is nice now they've spent a few quid on it. For me Ashtown is just a bit more pleasent than where I live in Finglas, maybe I'm having grass is greener on the other side syndrome but thats how I perceive it. I also like cycling/walking a good bit so the fact Ashtown has two parks within minutes walk is a big plus, also the Phoenix Park is probably the greatest resource Dublin city has away from the coast so to live near it would be nice IMO.

In saying all that I haven't lived in Ashtown but a friend has and loved it. She lived pretty near the train station and shops there which seems to be a good area. Further down towards Royal Canal Park seems a bit more disconnected to the village centre and I've no ideas what that end of it is like, I do know asking prices seem to be less down that end than up nearer the train station, I'm not sure is that because of location alone or if apartment builds nearer the station are a higher spec (they look so from the outside) or if its for some other reason. If you're looking around there you should bare that in mind and ask yourself why. Also be aware that there are plans for a new train station along that line, as far as I know its proposed to be somewhere near the Ratoath Road so if you're looking in that area bare that in mind too as prices around there are likely to jump upwards upon the opening of a new station so it would be in your interests to know where exactly it is proposed to be built and how many years away it might be before opening.

Marcin Z

Muahahaha wrote: »

Out of all the places you mentioned Ashtown would be my preference. I live in Charlestown , Finglas and while its not too bad around here I doubt I'm going to buy in the area. The council have moved a few unsavouries into the area over the last while and I'm not keen on paying money to permanently live near them. So for me its not a bad area to rent but I'd be nervous about buying here for the long term.

Ashtown is on my list because of the rail link to town, all the canals are due to be upgraded into a proper cycle track all the way to town. Phoenix Park gates are only a 5 minute walk from Ashtown and you also have the Tolka Valley park behind it too which is nice now they've spent a few quid on it. For me Ashtown is just a bit more pleasent than where I live in Finglas, maybe I'm having grass is greener on the other side syndrome but thats how I perceive it. I also like cycling/walking a good bit so the fact Ashtown has two parks within minutes walk is a big plus, also the Phoenix Park is probably the greatest resource Dublin city has away from the coast so to live near it would be nice IMO.

In saying all that I haven't lived in Ashtown but a friend has and loved it. She lived pretty near the train station and shops there which seems to be a good area. Further down towards Royal Canal Park seems a bit more disconnected to the village centre and I've no ideas what that end of it is like, I do know asking prices seem to be less down that end than up nearer the train station, I'm not sure is that because of location alone or if apartment builds nearer the station are a higher spec (they look so from the outside) or if its for some other reason. If you're looking around there you should bare that in mind and ask yourself why. Also be aware that there are plans for a new train station along that line, as far as I know its proposed to be somewhere near the Ratoath Road so if you're looking in that area bare that in mind too as prices around there are likely to jump upwards upon the opening of a new station so it would be in your interests to know where exactly it is proposed to be built and how many years away it might be before opening.

Thanks Muahahaha. We will consider that.

I was wondering how the market reacts to the new mortgage restrictions. I've spoke to one vendor tonight and he was pushing to sell property because landlady was afraid that in the next year it might have negative impact on property value so technically speaking her apartment might be worth less.
What do you guys think about that? isn't better to wait till the next year Jan/Feb to buy something or it won't really matter. I guess that probably this vendor was looking just a good excuse to get his cut asap

lima

Marcin Z wrote: »

Thanks Muahahaha. We will consider that.

I was wondering how the market reacts to the new mortgage restrictions. I've spoke to one vendor tonight and he was pushing to sell property because landlady was afraid that in the next year it might have negative impact on property value so technically speaking her apartment might be worth less.
What do you guys think about that? isn't better to wait till the next year Jan/Feb to buy something or it won't really matter. I guess that probably this vendor was looking just a good excuse to get his cut asap

When referring to the vendor, that is the person selling the property

I have put off buying since 2013 (mainly because there was nothing I liked available, only low quality places that investors were picking up to rent out at high prices) and prices have shot up so if you are ready then go for it.

Also it's extremely hard to close a sale because there are so many other bidders and the Estate Agents play games. Get ready to be let down over and over

Amy100

I was wondering does anybody know anything about Heath Square in finglas? Looks like a lovely well kept estate. Am thinking of purchasing a duplex there. Thanks.
Also ashtown is lovely I lived in royal canal park. They are going to open another stop on the train closer to there! Called pelletstown!

bmm

Make sure you check how many apartments in the complex are owner occupied. More is better as Landlords have little interest in maintaining complexes . Many tenants are passing thru and do not abide by house rules regarding late night parties etc.. Well managed complexes save you allot of hassle and protect your investment.

Management fees are not advertised on apartment sales . These yearly fees can be substantial (up to 3,000 euro is not unheard of) and should be taken into account when making a decision .

If you can stretch your budget to a house , you wont be disappointed.

Apartment living in Ireland is not civilised like other EU countries. It is treated as a temporary stepping stone. Many apartment owners dream of moving into their own house away from antisocial behaviour and crazy management fees.

Marcin Z

Amy100 wrote: »

I was wondering does anybody know anything about Heath Square in finglas? Looks like a lovely well kept estate. Am thinking of purchasing a duplex there. Thanks.
Also ashtown is lovely I lived in royal canal park. They are going to open another stop on the train closer to there! Called pelletstown!

there is hardly any apartments on the market in ashtown (below 200k) also they're quite small. Ive heard there is no school in that part of ashtown either and thats why I rule out that place

i was considering north finglas myself but commuting down to town is a nightmare. they talking about new luas link connecting city centre to the airport via balymun but that benefits only east part of finglas. unfortunately it might takes ages to develop and nobody knows if that happens at all

Now i'm searching for places that have railway/luas links. it's the most efficient way to commute in dublin

zef

What about clonsilla? Its a nice quiet area, near blanch which has practically everything , and also beside the train station?
Some nice bungalows there around the 200k mark.

Amy100

Marcin Z wrote: »

there is hardly any apartments on the market in ashtown (below 200k) also they're quite small. Ive heard there is no school in that part of ashtown either and thats why I rule out that place

i was considering north finglas myself but commuting down to town is a nightmare. they talking about new luas link connecting city centre to the airport via balymun but that benefits only east part of finglas. unfortunately it might takes ages to develop and nobody knows if that happens at all

Now i'm searching for places that have railway/luas links. it's the most efficient way to commute in dublin

I think I have seen some 2 bedroomed apartments in ashtown below €200k! I would imagine they will build a school in ashtown in the future probably an educate together one! Being a public transport links makes sense! Just OH had to be near M50 which these days is an absolute nightmare! 😳

Marcin Z

Amy100 wrote: »

I think I have seen some 2 bedroomed apartments in ashtown below €200k! I would imagine they will build a school in ashtown in the future probably an educate together one! Being a public transport links makes sense! Just OH had to be near M50 which these days is an absolute nightmare! 😳

yes- two apartments. one on the ground floor (price already reduced) and the other gone

hfallada

I know a few people who have lived in St.Margarets and hated it. Its a closed community basically. Everyone knows everyone as pretty much the same families have lived in the areas for generations. They aren't welcoming to new comers at all. Its basically a glorified farming village without any services eg there is no shops. The local schools are ****. Very few of the student perform well at second level due to the substandard primary schools.

Where as Ashtown has the train to town and buses. The village is really nice

Marcin Z

hfallada wrote: »

I know a few people who have lived in St.Margarets and hated it. Its a closed community basically. Everyone knows everyone as pretty much the same families have lived in the areas for generations. They aren't welcoming to new comers at all. Its basically a glorified farming village without any services eg there is no shops. The local schools are ****. Very few of the student perform well at second level due to the substandard primary schools.

Where as Ashtown has the train to town and buses. The village is really nice

Are you talking about st. Margarets or st. Margarets Road area (north finglas) because these are two completely different places. All estates along st. Margarets road are relatively new or still under construction. I bet that 90% of ppl there are 'new comers'