Househunters queue 36hrs for new homes
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DESPERATE househunters queued for up to 36 hours in miserable conditions for a chance to buy one of 24 new properties in the capital.
The three and four-bedroom houses at Beechwood Heath in Hansfield, North Dublin, go on sale on Friday – with guide prices starting at €300,000.
But some of those looking to snap one up began queuing outside one of the houses from as early as 6am on Monday.
Many brought deck chairs, blankets and winter clothing as they prepared to brave the elements for four days.
A number of prospective buyers slept in their cars to keep their place in line, while others are even understood to have spent the night in tents.
One man told the Irish Mirror he had been left disappointed too many times already in his search for a new home.
He said: “I felt I had to stay overnight. There’s so much demand for new houses now.
“I’ve been househunting for over a year and been to so many viewings, but every time the house I’ve been looking for is gone as soon it goes on sale.
“I know waiting like this looks ridiculous, but it’s so desperate now that you need to be waiting in line this early to stand a chance of getting the house you need.
“It’s the first time I’ve had to wait overnight, but hopefully it’ll be the last time too.”
By yesterday afternoon selling agent Kelly Walsh began issuing those waiting with numbered tickets to allow them to return on Friday when the sales office opens. Prospective buyers will then be asked to put a €2,000 deposit on one of the homes, which is refundable if they choose not to proceed with the sale.
But while guide prices for the new houses are currently between €300,000 and €500,000, the actual cost won’t be confirmed until they hit the market later this week.
None of those queuing at the estate wished to give their name when speaking to the Irish Mirror, but many said they were doing so because they were desperate to get a foot on the property ladder.
A couple in their 20s revealed they had spent 23 hours in line before
being given a ticket and expected to take it in turns to wait until the selling agent’s office opens on Friday.
They said: “We’ve been househunting a bit around Dublin and mostly looking at new builds so we can avail of the Help-to-buy scheme.
“We like these houses because they’re nice and they’re in a good area, which seems to be growing in size and has a lot of local amenities.
“At one point, we were looking at houses in Kiltipper, but they just didn’t have the same going for them as these houses do.”
Labour councillor Andrew Montague said it was unacceptable that people were being forced to go to such measures secure new homes.
He added: “This recalls the worst excesses of the Celtic Tiger property boom and is a well-known tactic and leads to increased prices for homeowners.
“There is no reason why estate agents can’t use modern technology to solve this issue.”
The Institute Of Professional Auctioneers And Valuers also criticised the need for people to wait for days for a chance to buy a new home, with the group’s chief Pat Davitt saying the issue was “a symptom of a severe lack of supply of homes”.
It looks ridiculous but you need to do this to stand a chance
MAN IN QUEUE
YESTERDAY
A PANIC at property prices should finally be settling in around about now.
That’s if we’re to judge from pictures taken yesterday of house-hunters queueing outside new homes that won’t be on sale until Friday.
You can’t help but get a sense of deja vu from the whole affair. Have we learned nothing?
Just last week a “cosy wooden chalet” – that’s a shed to you and I – went up for rent in Dublin for €765 a month.
Even renters near rail lines in the capital can’t catch a break, with rates there 17% more on average than elsewhere in the county.
With reports indicating prices across the country will rise by 10% in 2019, what’s it going to take to stop the madness in its tracks?