Buy property in Dublin

Lale

Hi, I am moving to Dublin in the next few weeks and was looking for a house in the north side (Dublin 9, 7 3, 5). I have read some old threads about how Finglas and Ballymun are not good areas but that it also depends on the specific estate.
Can anyone give me updated information on areas?
Also, can anyone suggest specific auctioneers to deal with and to avoid? There I am not just talking about their commission, but how trustworthy they are and how fair and honest in their business. I have dealth with several in Galway two years ago when we moved here, and I know local ones are sometimes much thorough and fair here but I have no idea how it works in Dublin.
Any suggestion much appreciated.
Thanks!

whiskeyman

Probably best give an indication of your budget and what's important to you for the info you require

Lale

We are looking at a 3beds and 2baths house in the range of 300K-340K, but we need it to be in turn-key conditions, GFCH and with a decent BER (e.g. not worse than D1 or else it would require too much work).
A garden and an attic is a plus, and we are not looking for very small 3beds (e.g. at least 100sqmt or bigger) cause our family is expanding and we don't want to have to move in 2 years time again!

athtrasna

Mod note

As per the forum charter please avoid generalisations about areas.

Sorry OP but it is also against the forum charter to identify individuals or companies so your auctioneer question can't be answered on here.

riclad

There,s not that many houses for sale in ballymun ,
only ex council house,s or apartments near the main road.
its much quieter since the blocks were knocked down and replaced by apartments ,
the new layout is designed for security , security camera,s every 200 yards in many streets
it,s a working class area , but much quieter than in 2005 for example .
Re finglas look for private estates or ex council seates where all the house,s are now in private ownership .
you can get a nice house for 200k plus on a private estate
in dublin 15,
are you going for finglas ,ballymun because its cheaper.
Go to daft ie search house for sale ,250k max dublin, see what comes up .
If you look around you can find larger victorian style house,s dublin 1,2,
these have thick brick walls ,
high ceilings 12ft plus at least a yard in the rear ,
they may not be in turn key condition ,eg extra insulation needed .
Most house, s in finglas,beaumont, santry have gardens ,Some corner houses in finglas
have extra large gardens .

davindub

Lale wrote: »

We are looking at a 3beds and 2baths house in the range of 300K-340K, but we need it to be in turn-key conditions, GFCH and with a decent BER (e.g. not worse than D1 or else it would require too much work).
A garden and an attic is a plus, and we are not looking for very small 3beds (e.g. at least 100sqmt or bigger) cause our family is expanding and we don't want to have to move in 2 years time again!

Artane, Beaumount, Santry at the upper end of your price range, just you will find it hard to find turn key conditions. A lot of properties are probate sales and most require insulation, etc. But the areas are usually quiet (be careful in Santry to avoid cut throughs to Shanagan Gardens, some people have no issues, others get a lot of trouble). Beaumount and Artane, I particularly think are very nice areas. Raheny village is nice too, but house prices are rising very quickly there for the nice ones, "greater Raheny" is a mix of ex-council houses and private estates. Bayside (now located in Sutton) just out of your price range. Clontarf and Sutton are mostly out of your price range, but watch them anyway, a house came up in Clontarf for 290 and sale agreed within a week there 2 weeks ago, it was old and needed upgrading (Conquerhill) but very close to the beach. Donnycarney mixed...Whitehall mixed but mostly nice.

East Finglas is ok but the houses are generally old and smallish, I think 250-280k, a lot of properties there would be addressed Glasnevin (400k ish), North Glasnevin (320k) nice houses. Most for sale will have poor insulation, the ready to go ones, tend to be priced higher.

Ballymun, Poppintree are usually ex-council houses for sale, you probably wouldn't like it there or in west Finglas either. But those houses will be priced well below what you are planning to spend.

Don't trust a EA. There are some honest ones in the area, equally they will try anything to get a offer on the property, from pricing well below the price they would accept, ghost offers, accepting offers from those without funds/ finance in place. One EA I know of sell their houses quickly once asking price has been reached. Others hang on....and on.

In general I would avoid the newer built houses in the Estates, buying these secondhand really exposes the issues with them, sprayed on plaster coming off walls is nasty and a regular occurance, damp seeping though walls, leaks from shower trays, no front garden, all the benefits of squeezing every last penny from the construction industry.

Maybe check out the cost of pumping cavity walls, double glazing, Gas installation etc to give yourself a chance of a decent home, buy old and do up. Also having a budget is one thing closing a sale is another. Houses in estates tend to attract more interest than on the main roads. Best of luck!

outlooks

Lale wrote: »

We are looking at a 3beds and 2baths house in the range of 300K-340K, but we need it to be in turn-key conditions, GFCH and with a decent BER (e.g. not worse than D1 or else it would require too much work).
A garden and an attic is a plus, and we are not looking for very small 3beds (e.g. at least 100sqmt or bigger) cause our family is expanding and we don't want to have to move in 2 years time again!

Hi, it is odd that no one mentioned so far that the Dublin house market is crazy at the moment and rents as well house value is expected to go up by 20% in the next two years. People are bidding for houses and majority are now looking to buy in areas like Lucan or further into Kildare like Newbridge, Sallins, etc.

Good luck!

dubrov

outlooks wrote: »

Hi, it is odd that no one mentioned so far that the Dublin house market is crazy at the moment and rents as well house value is expected to go up by 20% in the next two years. People are bidding for houses and majority are now looking to buy in areas like Lucan or further into Kildare like Newbridge, Sallins, etc.

Good luck!

I think you've been reading too much of the Independent.

Lale

thanks riclad will keep it in mind. already scanning daft for a few weeks now, and I also set up some alerts emails. Finger crossed.

johnnyskeleton

Lale wrote: »

thanks riclad will keep it in mind. already scanning daft for a few weeks now, and I also set up some alerts emails. Finger crossed.

I know you said you don't want to be moving in 2 years time, but have you considered renting for a year or two first? Just to see if you like the area etc? Even take an air bnb in an area that you are thinking of for a week or two to get some kind of idea about it?

Lale

With kids thats not really an option, but we will be staying with family for a while close to DCU.

Macha

Why is renting with kids not an option?

Lale

That is all very helpful thanks!

handlemaster

davindub wrote: »

Artane, Beaumount, Santry at the upper end of your price range, just you will find it hard to find turn key conditions. A lot of properties are probate sales and most require insulation, etc. But the areas are usually quiet (be careful in Santry to avoid cut throughs to Shanagan Gardens, some people have no issues, others get a lot of trouble). Beaumount and Artane, I particularly think are very nice areas. Raheny village is nice too, but house prices are rising very quickly there for the nice ones, "greater Raheny" is a mix of ex-council houses and private estates. Bayside (now located in Sutton) just out of your price range. Clontarf and Sutton are mostly out of your price range, but watch them anyway, a house came up in Clontarf for 290 and sale agreed within a week there 2 weeks ago, it was old and needed upgrading (Conquerhill) but very close to the beach. Donnycarney mixed...Whitehall mixed but mostly nice.

East Finglas is ok but the houses are generally old and smallish, I think 250-280k, a lot of properties there would be addressed Glasnevin (400k ish), North Glasnevin (320k) nice houses. Most for sale will have poor insulation, the ready to go ones, tend to be priced higher.

Ballymun, Poppintree are usually ex-council houses for sale, you probably wouldn't like it there or in west Finglas either. But those houses will be priced well below what you are planning to spend.

Don't trust a EA. There are some honest ones in the area, equally they will try anything to get a offer on the property, from pricing well below the price they would accept, ghost offers, accepting offers from those without funds/ finance in place. One EA I know of sell their houses quickly once asking price has been reached. Others hang on....and on.

In general I would avoid the newer built houses in the Estates, buying these secondhand really exposes the issues with them, sprayed on plaster coming off walls is nasty and a regular occurance, damp seeping though walls, leaks from shower trays, no front garden, all the benefits of squeezing every last penny from the construction industry.

Maybe check out the cost of pumping cavity walls, double glazing, Gas installation etc to give yourself a chance of a decent home, buy old and do up. Also having a budget is one thing closing a sale is another. Houses in estates tend to attract more interest than on the main roads. Best of luck!

Whats poppintree like ? The property looks cheap.

riclad

Poppintree is a working class area ,like finglas, its quietened down a lot ,
since all the blocks were demolished and theres security camera,s on many of the streets .
Houses in finglas or ballymun are cheaper than say santry since
theres no council rental apartments there .
Most of the new building in ballymun are in the form of apartments
2-3 storeys high ,the only houses for sale are ex council houses .
bought by the previous tenant .
So in general ex council houses are cheaper than a house on a private
estate in santry, or beaumont which would be considered a middle class area .
I lived near poppintree i never had problems living there in terms of quality of life or
anti social behavior .

of course with 300k plus you can afford to buy in santry or beaumont which would be considered middle class,
You have to think with kids do i wish to live in a working class area or a middle class area.
Is That important to you , a house in santry is 100k more than a 3bed semi d in finglas.

http://www.daft.ie/dublin/houses-for-sale/finglas/14-barry-road-finglas-dublin-1241805/

this is a mature estate ,quiet,
All the houses in the estate have been bought by ex tenant,s and are now privately owned .The average age there is 30-40,
theres not many young kids living there .
my friend lives about 20 yards from no 14 ,the house for sale in the link.

appfry

Have a walk around any area you are thinking of buying in at about 10pm for an hour or so a few times. Thats when you really get to see what an area is like. Make sure its not raining. That keeps the local wildlife in if there is any.

riclad

Have a Drive around the area after 11.30 pm, if theres any
teens hanging around thats when they are at their worst ,
I would not advise a newbie stranger to walk around certain estates in tallaght at 8pm, unless you wish to put yourself in danger as some kind of social experiment ,
Or have a strong desire to get mugged
.good tip , if anyone under the age of 65 asks for a cigarette, directions, a euro,do NOT stop,
go, Drive on,quickly with all doors and windows locked ,

davindub

handlemaster wrote: »

Whats poppintree like ? The property looks cheap.

Depends on what you are used to, it's cheap for a reason. Others will give you a better indication of the area itself socially, but driving through the area looks messy, etc. But drive in there yourself, best way to know.

riclad

Its got schools , a community centre ,ballymun arts centre nearby,Its
composed of mostly new houses and apartments built to replace the old tower blocks .
And ikea is nearby .
Theres shops in the middle of the area and large green spaces .
All the new houses are built to a very high standard ,
eg its the opposite of the old council estates built in the 80s .
With modern attractive housing design ,eg you wont see 400 houses all exactly the same .
There,s alot of 3 storey apartment blocks .
its well laid out with plenty of parking space for each dwelling.

Lale

What is Clonshaugh like? I know Darndale is not considered very good, and also belcamp but this looks like there are one or two decent estate... anybody any idea?

Lale

Thanks for all the input.
I was also recently looking at areas around Blanchardstown like the recent estate Hansfield.
Anybody knows about the quality of these new built? Also, how is the traffic to get into Collins Ave after 9am and out at about 5?

amtc

Hansfield is Ongar not Blanchardstown. A good 4km. Traffic manic across back roads at those times, due to industrial estates. I live on the route. I think you'd be nuts considering Poppintree. Even now Arnotts etc wont deliver to it. Closer thab ongar in D15 or D7 makes sense

riclad

Traffic is heavy anytime from 5 to 6-6.30 as everyone leaves work around 5-6pm.i lived there for 5 plus years ,in dublin 15.
At anytime after 5 its faster just to go there by bus .
its like rush hour traffic in any part of dublin.
santry to swords , city centre to santry busy any day part from sunday ,bank holidays at 5-6.30 pm

Lale

I have found all the information very useful,
but I have been looking for houses now for over 5 months and it was true that prices would go up (sometimes I think they live in another universe, asking for 400K for a (small) house in Ballygall, just because they have done some upgrading that probably costed them 20K!!
I have been looking around Ballygall though, and found some nice properties there stretching from 300 to 350K which is now our budget.
Does anybody know how is Johnstown park like? I have seen an older post about some vandalism but nothing recent.
I have a little toddler wouldn't want to end up buying a house close to a playground and then discover I cannot go there!
Any idea or info really appreciated!

LirW

The price increase in Ballygall is absolutely shocking. I like the area a lot and I've looked into it when I started looking around because I like it a lot. But it went absolutely mental there within a year.
Anyway when you come from Glasnevin avenue and go straight to Whitehall and take the turn on the left up where you go through the residential streets to Omni - there are a good few houses for sale at the moment, don't know about the price point, but it's a nice enough area.
The Johnstown park area is a pretty settled working class area, I've viewed a few nice houses. Mind you, there are a few bad apples here and there but in general it's nice.
Have you tried the likes of Swords or expanding even further out into the direction of Ashbourne?

Lale

Thanks LirW,
I don't know if it's estate agents telling people they can dare so high or what happened there. They need a sanity check especially since some houses are on sale for ages!
I have seen the area you talk about around Shanowen avenue and all the roads there, saw a few houses within the price range but all need insulation and renovation, some rewiring and quite a bit of work done which sums up to being over budget. Plus, they are all quite small, around 85sq mt max with very little room for extension and I don't know how much renovation and extension work would cost.
Anybody has some useful tip on that?

I noticed the second-hand market had slowed down why would people pay that money when they can get a new house and with the 1st time buyer pay it the same money?
In my case I really don't have time to queue for hours and not get it, been there done that, off the list. Also I need to be close to work, a long commute in traffic is not doable.

I am just afraid the more I wait the higher prices will go. Hopefully some sanity will kick in in the market prices...

LirW

Well, a lot of houses sit there because your preferred areas are popular and people know this and often aren't in a rush to sell but are willing to wait a while until they get their money. And as long as people are willing to pay this, this isn't going to change.

Gotta be honest, in the areas you like your budget with what you want is really ambitious and a lot of people in your situation don't manage to find anything. 85sqm are 3 bed ex-council house standard really. Also most houses in your preferred areas are old and need insulation. I live in one right at Albert College park and I'm counting the days until I move out later this year because it's horribly cold in winter and an oven in summer. To be fair, my in-laws didn't bother to spend a cent in insulation. But finding turn-key with a good energy rating for that money - nearly impossible.

The bigger towns in North county Dublin are pretty well connected to the City centre. Depending on how long you can wait I really wouldn't rule them out.
Also try Hampton Woods, parts of it are nice and relatively turn-key houses coming up from time to time.
What about D15? There can be good value for money and the train connection to town is excellent.
Can also try looking for apartments in Northwood.

Hang in there, you'll find a solution.