DNG Flanagan Ford sign off on a successful 2018
AS 2018 draws to a close, DNG Flanagan Ford are wrapping up the last few sales & are reporting on another exceptionally busy & successful year. The year saw some of the extremes in weather with the record snows of last winter followed by a summer to remember where most of our BBQs were in regular use. The Irish were praying for rain…..!! The property market was anything but extreme. It has followed a steady rise in property values for the past 4 years and 2018 was the best year in the last 10 years for DNG Flanagan Ford.
Shane Flanagan, Director & Selling Agent, commented ‘Once we returned from the Christmas break at the start of 2018, we were taken aback by the levels of viewings, bidding etc taking place on the many properties we had for sale on our books at that time. Indeed, that trend continued throughout the year & this crossed all sectors of the property market from first time buyers & investors, to those seeking high end family homes at the upper scale of the market. We have been very fortunate throughout the year to have been appointed over many properties at all levels in the market. We have been proud to offer all clients a service which we feel is second to none & continues to provide repeat business from our new & long standing client base.’
Shane continued ‘2018 saw the re-emergence of ‘new home sales’ and we were delighted to be appointed as selling agents over the Carraig Abhainn development in Ballisodare, Co Sligo. My colleague Tess Monaghan oversaw the launch & sales of the properties within this scheme & to say there was strong demand would be an understatement.’ ‘ This was testament to the fantastic finish which the developers insisted on bringing the properties to before the properties would be sold. During 2018 we have sold out of 2 phases of this scheme & are looking forward to the launch of the 3rd phase in early 2019’ commented Tess Monaghan. ‘It is great to back selling new homes. This was once the backbone of our business and we are confident that it will be again in the near future based on the demand we saw for the new homes in Carraig Abhainn. The waiting list for homes in phase 3 is already building up.’
‘Properties at the higher end of the market were another stand out in 2018. In the Sligo Champion of the 18th December an article was written in which they spoke of how well the upper end of the market performed in Sligo. They quoted five sales over €500,000 which they found on the Property Price Register. When I read the article I realised that DNG Flanagan Ford sold every one of those properties! We also had many sales over the €400,000 level and this is a sure sign that confidence is now firmly back in the market for premium homes’ said Shane Flanagan of DNG Flanagan Ford. ‘ There are many buyers now waiting in the wings for the right property. These buyers have funds available to buy at the top end of the market and are just waiting for the right property to come for sale. We expect the higher end of the market to continue to perform very well in 2019 so if you are considering downsizing please give us a call for a free market appraisal of your home, you could be pleasantly surprised.’
‘ The Investment market has been another very strong performer. We have seen a surge in private individuals using their pensions to invest in properties. They tend to favour the managed properties such as the student villages in Clarion Village, The Grove, Yeats Village and Gateway. These are all fully managed student villages next to Sligo IT. Demand from both private individuals and pension type investors was very strong all year. With good returns and no hassle they are a much sought after investment’ commented Marie McDonald.
‘As the appointed Auction house for the DNG group in the North West of Ireland we expect to be holding numerous property Auctions throughout 2019 so keep an eye on the property section of the Sligo Champion for these dates’ Said Shane Flanagan.
Shane & his team would like to take this opportunity to thank each & every client who they have done business with throughout the year, & they look forward to taking care of all of your property needs in 2019.
The offices of DNG Flanagan Ford will re-open on Wednesday 2nd January 2019. The property team can be contacted as follows: Shane Flanagan 087 2461062; Tess Monaghan 086 3999062; Marie McDonald 087 2721367.