The Wexford market is going from strength to strength according to Adrian Haythornthwaite
THE property market is going from strength to strength. A few short years ago in County Wexford there were only seven hundred residential sales and this has risen to 1,600 in 2015, a similar number in 2016 and all of our indicators suggest that this is going to continue into 2017 and beyond. Whilst the naysayers would suggest the Brexit and Trump effects will have a negative effect on market activity, that certainly hasn’t happened yet on our watch.
For example, there have been for high-end homes €300000 homes bought in both Ard na gCuan and Ard na Slaine since Christmas and this is just one part of the sales that have been done since then. Adrian Haythornthwaite reports vibrant interest in Wexford and houses generally.
As part of this, our ongoing promotional efforts continue. We are attending at the Retail Marketplace Ireland Conference in Dublin Castle at the end of February and this is the premier event in Ireland where deals get done for retail property. There are some really good shops available in Wexford right now and look forward to changes in the retail fabric of town over the coming months. It is interesting to think of the investment required from the retail sector when they come to town and open a shop. We see it as a considerable vote of confidence in Wexford and the future. The foundations of this growth have been well laid over the last decade and everything is helping. Wexford Local Authorities, the Chamber of Commerce, the various business interests, have all been working toward this end and it is about to come right. In a few short months, we are going to have natural gas in town and high speed broadband. On top of that, the improvements of the N11 will shorten the time to Dublin even further. At the moment, you can get to Dublin airport in less time it takes to watch a movie. In the eighties, everyone forgets this was a three hour trip.
More and more we are finding people looking for the lifestyle that Wexford offers. Their most important concern when they are looking at a house is the broadband speed as this affects everything they do. We are meeting a lot of demand from people are looking to move to Wexford for lifestyle reasons. The difference between this and some years ago, is they are now talking about working from home whereas previously this was coming from the retirement sector.
This said, the old reliables are still there, in that many people want to come back to family and the place where they grew up. Our sales efforts in England at the moment, seem to resonate particularly with the sector of society over there that wants to live in a tolerant place and that is what we can offer in Wexford. Last year one in 7 of our buyers came from the UK
There will also be properties that are particularly attractive or good value and these change hands quickly. Obviously, the market believes that the houses in Ard Na Slaine are particularly good value judging from the levels of interest. The second-hand market also has its gems. Yesterday, three people looked at 21 Southbay Rosslare Strand in quick succession and negotiations are about to start. This is a really beautiful house immaculately presented and offers a place where you can enjoy time off with your family, close to the sea for only €210,000.
We have found that recent changes in the residential lettings scene have meant that investors are actively selling investment properties and we can see that this can only result in upwards pressure on residential rental values.
Finally, we felt we might mention our new Facebook page and please check it out. It’s at https://www.facebook.com/SherryFitzGeraldHaythornthwaite/. We currently have a very exciting competition going in conjunction with Sam McCauley’s, six €50 vouchers are being given away each week.