Trade-up homes with a high-end flourish Greenleaf Homes launches Whitegables in upmarket Malahide this weekend.
AS a father of five children between the ages of seven and 14, and a resident of Malahide village, Mark Elliott of Greenleaf Homes has road-tested both the requirements of a spacious family home and the environs of the new homes development, Whitegables, which he launches this weekend in the north Dublin village.
This is a small development of 17 homes, each measuring approximately 175sqm and with four double bedrooms, with prices starting from €660,000. There are detached and semi-detached units on offer.
“It’s a trade-up house, a house that you could stay in for the rest of your life,” says Elliott. “Certainly it’s a house that you could raise children in. I’ve five kids myself, so I know what it’s like for space. We’ve spent an awful lot of time looking at the layouts, moving walls around, trying to make the best use we could of the space that we have inside the house.”
Mark and his family live nearby, so he can validly sing the praises of the village that is considered one of north Dublin’s most prestigious addresses.
“Malahide is a lovely place to live,” he says. “The schools are all close by, the amenities for the children – my children do choir, GAA, rugby – all are nearby. Then, for the adults, the village has restaurants and bars.”
Located within walking distance of the village, these homes are emphatically trade-up properties. “Malahide is regarded as one of the best villages in Dublin,” says David Browne, head of New Homes at Savills. “A lot of people would refer to Malahide and Dalkey in the one breath. They would be the prime locations.”
Browne points out that generally people trading-up already live in the area, committed to schools, childcare situations and after-school activities. So buyers in this case are expected to be primarily those living nearby.
“You would expect a lot of people in older houses, who are looking at the possibility of extending or refurbishing, looking at the cost to do that, which could be €100,000-€150,000, versus buying a brand new A-rated house. Even if you spend all that money, it’s still not new,” says Browne.
Newness, large open-plan living areas and low running costs can contribute to lending new homes an edge over second-hand.
These houses include a separate living room on the ground floor to the front, and a large openplan kitchen, dining and living room to the rear. Double doors lead to a landscaped garden. The first floor includes three double bedrooms, one of which is also en-suite, and a main bathroom. The master bedroom suite is located on the top floor, and includes a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. All homes are A-rated and include two off-street parking spaces.
“What we have noticed is that younger people and first-time buyers are very happy to have the living room with double doors into the open-plan living room/kitchen,” says Browne. “As they get older, like myself, you suddenly learn that you actually want a space to lock yourself away from the kids. So trade-up buyers go for the separate living room. And then you have your living room that you sit in at night and that’s your space and the big open-plan area that everyone lives in, that’s your daily space where you play with the kids.”
Attention to detail at this end of the market is important to buyers, he says, noting that these homes have high-spec bathroom fit-outs.
“Particularly at this level, buyers have worked very hard to get where they are. They want a bit of comfort. So a lot of attention would be spent on the fittings in the master en-suite and wardrobe,” says Browne.
In this case, the master bedroom is a moveable feast, Elliott points out, as there is a second double bedroom with en-suite on the first floor. Many parents want to be on the same level as young children, or later wish to move teenagers to the second floor, whilst still retaining an en-suite themselves. This layout offers all those choices.
Price: Four-bed detached and semi-detached from €660,000 Viewing: Today, 1-3pm Agent: Savills (01) 618 1300