Daft Property - Irish Property News

We're surrounded by empty houses - so why did council give go-ahead for even more homes? RESIDENTS in an area of north Dublin awash with empty homes are objecting to plans to build even more new properties. Homeowners in Brackenwood, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, say there is no need for a new development of 18 units, since they are already flanked by empty homes in surrounding estates. The developers, Parkway Partnership, were last week granted planning permission for the units, which will be located adjacent to Brackenwood, after they modified their original application. CRAMMED But local resident Rose Allen said: "We don't need any more houses. Who has the money to buy houses now? "Now we have a developer coming in who wants to build 18 houses and it's the only green that we have in our estate. They're all going to be crammed in because the site is no bigger than a football pitch. "It's in our own green area. We've no field, no trees in ...

Irish property could still be overvalued by 30 percent... Irish house prices increased by around 330 per cent between 1996 to 2007 – a bubble of impressive scale and duration, but a bubble nonetheless. Plenty of outside observers saw the writing on the wall and said so, but they were overlooked in the Celtic Tiger gold rush. The European Central Bank (ECB), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Financial Times, the Economist and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) all spoke of dire portents early and often. They were ignored. Cheap and easy money arrived in Ireland just as the tiger economy geared up. The country adopted the euro and access to a large pool of low-cost European finance with it. When the bubble burst Ireland's main domestic financial institutions were wiped out and European institutions and the IMF took over the nation's financial affairs. So the question now is has the country reached the end? According to a report i...

Brian Lenihan tells the Irish bailout story on Radio 4... The inside story of Ireland's unprecedented economic bailout is revealed in Bailout Boys Go to Dublin, a new documentary on BBC Radio 4. In his first major interview since the last November's bailout, former Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan recalls his feelings as he prepared to sign up to the 85bn euro (£75bn) bailout - a deal which would end Ireland's economic sovereignty. "I have a very vivid memory of going to Brussels on the final Monday and being on my own at the airport and looking at the snow gradually thawing and thinking to myself: this is terrible. No Irish minister has ever had to do this before," he says. "I had fought for two and a half years to avoid this conclusion. I believed I had fought the good fight and taken every measure possible to delay such an eventuality and now hell was at the gates". Dan O'Brien, the economics editor of the Irish Times, tells the stor...

Allsop plans five fire sales a year... THE UK auction house Allsop and its Irish affiliate Space plans to hold up to five distressed property auctions a year following the success of its first auction last Friday when 81 out of 82 lots were sold for a total of €15 million. The next auction is scheduled for July 7th, when 200 lots will be auctioned, including apartments, tenanted shops, farms and houses. According to Space director Stephen McCarthy, his company is being inundated with requests from receivers, banks and individuals who want to sell their property fast. Many of the properties in Friday’s auction were sold by Bank of Scotland Ireland and it’s believe there is plenty more of this stock to sell. These include apartments in the Castleforbes development in the Dublin docklands, as well as units in Dublin 8 and in Castleknock. However, the agency is also considering taking on more agricultural land. One lot, a 55 acre farm in Co Wickow sold particularly well, making €42...

Soap opera life of Celtic Tiger dynasty... THE wealth built up by their parents was a launch pad for sons Jim Jnr and PJ in a boom-time era world of beautiful women, powerful cars and fashionable parties. In true soap opera style the family has seen more than its share of strife and tragedy. All three of Jim Mansfield's sons were brought into the family businesses, but personal rather than business dealings catapulted two of the boys into the media limelight. Youngest son PJ married model and former Miss Ireland Andrea Roche in a high-profile wedding ceremony in 2006. The event was a magnet for Ireland's fashionistas. Leggy models and household names were packed into a marquee in the grounds of nearby Palmerstown House for the reception. Nearby, the village of Saggart was choked to capacity by the fleet of Mercedes, Bentleys and Chryslers -- as well as the Mansfield's family Rolls-Royce -- which had been left parked on the narrow streets during the big event. ...

'Property mania' at heart of bank crisis... The Nyberg report into the handling of the banking crisis has found that the main cause was the 'unhindered expansion of the property bubble'. The Nyberg report into the handling of the banking crisis has found that the crisis was the result of domestic Irish decisions and actions, and not international developments. The report, written by Finnish banking expert Peter Nyberg, said the main cause was the 'unhindered expansion of the property bubble', which was fuelled by banks using money borrowed from international markets. It said the risks linked to the bubble were undetected or seriously misjudged by the authorities. It said any warnings from the authorities were 'modest and insufficient'. The report said nobody abroad forced Irish households, investors, banks and authorities to take what it called 'unsustainable' financial risks. The report referred to the development of a 'national ...

At last! A plan to kick-start property... Nama's €1bn 'financial muscle' to get sales moving and help balance books. Frank Daly, the chairman of Nama, which has €1bn at its disposal, has said that the State agency intends to use its "financial muscle" to "kickstart the property market". Yesterday, Mr Daly told the Sunday Independent that the provision of "limited financial support" for the purchase of property was a "natural next step" for Nama. He said: "What we're aiming to do is build market confidence at sustainable levels -- to use Nama's financial muscle to kickstart the property market in a way that will benefit the project itself and provide people with an opportunity to own their own home." The disclosure that Nama has up to €1bn to directly intervene in the moribund market comes after an auction of property in Dublin on Friday which has generated a huge level of excitement. A total of €15m was s...

The bargain hunters were out in force today in Dublin! It was a busy day at the Shelbourne Hotel where many cut-price homes and properties were sold. Here are the Allsop Auction results: Lot Type Location Reserve Price will not exceed this figure 1 Vacant Flat Temple Bar Sold €126,000 2 Investment Flat Dublin 1 Sold €129,000 3 Investment Flat Dublin 8 Sold €102,000 4 Investment Flat Dublin 8 Sold €159,000 5 Investment Flat Bray Sold €154,000 6 Investment Freehold Building Clifden Sold €141,000 7 Investment Flat Portlaoise Sold €61,000 8 Investment Flat Portlaoise Sold €62,000 9 Investment Freehold Building Roscrea Sold €336,000 10 Vacant Freehold House Dundrum Sold €410,000 11 Vacant Flat Dublin 1 Sold €120,000 12 Vacant Flat Dublin 1 Sold €116,000 13 Investment Flat Dublin 1 Sold €190,000 14 Vacant Flat Dublin 7 Sold €107,000 15 Vacant Freehold House Renmore Sold €332,500 16 Investment Freehold Building Renmore Sold €205,000 17 Investment Flat Dublin 8 Sold €15...

Fire-sale auction draws bargain hunters... So many people turned up for an auction of distressed properties in the Shelbourne Hotel today in Dublin that it had to be suspended amid Garda concerns for safety. Some 80 lots, ranging from a Ballsbridge mews to a collection of cut price flats in Portlaoise, are being offered to the highest bidders. The majority of properties are being sold by receivers and include homes in Dublin, Wicklow and Galway as well as small commercial buildings and shops. Such was the interest in the sale that crowds spilled out of the hotel and onto the street. Proceedings had to be suspended for several minutes while non-bidders were asked to leave the main auction room. The venue has seating for 350, with standing room for an additional 500. One lot, an apartment in Portlaoise, was sold to a bidder who was forced to stand on the pavement on St Stephen's Green due to overcrowding. To ease pressure on the hotel, the entire auction is being broadcast ...

Cut-price homes go under the hammer... Up to 1,000 people are expected to attend today’s auction of distressed properties in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin when some 80 lots, ranging from a Ballsbridge mews to a collection of cut price flats in Portlaoise, will be offered to the highest bidders. The majority of properties are being sold by receivers and include homes in Dublin, Wicklow and Galway as well as small commercial buildings and shops. The lowest priced property is a site in Wicklow town with a reserve of €20,000 while the most expensive is the Dublin 4 mews which is estimated at €600,000. The majority of lots are priced between €35,000 and €150,000 and include flats in the Dublin docklands discounted by over 50 per cent and period homes with large gardens in the Dublin suburbs. The sale is expected to set a new floor for Irish house prices which are widely accepted to have dropped by at least 50 per cent from peak. Today’s prices may indicate an even steeper fall, a...

250,000 'broke' after paying mortgage and utility bills... A QUARTER of a million people have nothing left to live on once they have paid mortgage and electricity bills, according to a new survey which reveals the true extent of the hardship imposed on households by the recession. And another 210,000 people are so hard-up that their income does not even cover their essential bills for heat and the cost of the home, research commissioned by the Irish League of Credit Unions shows. Another three-quarters of a million people have on average just €70 left each month after paying essential bills, the iReach survey conducted for the Irish League of Credit Unions shows. The research, conducted to see how much disposable income households have, found that a large number -- 428,000 -- feel there is no future for their family in this country. Family incomes have been hit by tax changes, higher utility bills and transport costs, the research found. Most people regard their mor...

Do not lose hope, urges Dalai Lama... Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has urged Irish people not to be discouraged or lose hope as they struggle to cope with the financial crisis. In his first visit to Ireland in 20 years the exiled Nobel peace laureate spoke to a sold-out conference of 2,000 people on the first leg of a two-day trip. With the country reeling from its worst recession and facing the costliest banking crisis in history, the 76-year-old said money would not make people happy. "The ultimate source of happiness, peace of mind, cannot be produced by money," he said. "Billionaires, they are, I notice, very unhappy people. Very powerful, but deep inside, too much anxiety, too much stress. "So where I go, I always say ... the ultimate source of happiness and successful life is within ourselves." The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, addressed the Possibilities civic summit organised through the Children in Crossfire charity, est...

Homeowners to blame for crisis too, says Bruton Irish people 'ought to have been aware where things were going' when buying during boom... FORMER Taoiseach John Bruton says that Irish people "ought to have been aware where things were going" with the economy when they bought houses during the boom. "I have been someone who has been very critical of the EU authorities and the ECB and others in not using powers that they clearly had under the treaties to ensure prudential supervision both in the countries lending to Ireland and in the Irish banks themselves, and I think there is a responsibility there that I don't row back from, but, on the other hand, we also ought to have been aware where things were going. "Everybody could see that house prices were rising faster [than they should have been]," Mr Bruton -- who now holds the position of president of the IFSC -- told the Sunday Independent. The former Taoiseach's attempt to add ordinary...

ECB-IMF deal is a noose that will strangle economic recovery... OPINION: What the ECB and IMF have forced on Ireland is fundamentally corrupt and doomed to failure. WHAT HAPPENED to the Celtic Tiger? For many years, Ireland’s growth was based on fundamentals: investing in education and infrastructure to make the country an attractive place for investment and a gateway to Europe for companies from the US and Asia. But then, like so much of the rest of the world, Ireland was distracted by the lure of fast bucks and the wizardry of finance. As in much of the rest of the world, false economic doctrines advocating unfettered markets prevailed, claiming the seeming success of the economy as evidence of their verity. Not surprisingly, economic doctrines that helped create the crisis have not served the country well in dealing with its aftermath. With those still in office entering into international lending agreements that benefit the Irish banks and their debt holders but not necessa...

ECB interest rate hike to affect over 75% of Irish homeowners... THE EUROPEAN Central Bank (ECB) raised its main lending rate by a quarter of a point to 1.25 per cent yesterday in a move that will add about €40 on to the monthly repayments of a person with a €300,000 tracker mortgage. The announcement marks the first time in more than two years that tracker mortgage holders will feel the pinch of rising interest rates and it is expected to be the first of at least three rate increases over the next 12 months. It will see the cost of mortgages climb for more than three-quarters of Irish homeowners. For every €100,000 owed on a 30-year tracker mortgage of 1.5 per cent plus the ECB rate, a quarter point increase adds about €13 on to the monthly repayments. As a result of the ECB announcement, a person with a €300,000 tracker will see their monthly repayments rise by about €480 annually while someone with a €400,000 mortgage will have to pay a further €52.50 monthly, or €630 each y...

10.8pc plunge in Irish house prices... House prices in Ireland are falling at a double-digit rate but property values in other countries are showing signs of stabilising, research indicated today. The average cost of a home in Ireland dropped by 10.8pc during 2010 as the market suffered from the fall-out of the country's economic problems, according to estate agent Knight Frank. The drop was the biggest recorded for the total of nearly 50 countries looked at by the group. The pace of the falls are also showing little sign of easing, with property losing 3.5pc of its value during the final quarter alone. Steep price falls were also seen in Dubai, with property values diving by 6.1pc during the third quarter of 2010, the latest quarter for which figures are available. But there was better news for those who have bought second homes in France, with house prices in the country actually rising by 9.5pc during 2010. The more conservative French mortgage market means that hous...

Only a miracle can save financial system from complete meltdown... MICHAEL Noonan talks the talk, but last Wednesday the only walking he did was backwards. It confirms that the EU is running the show. The light we saw flicker at the end of the tunnel has been blown out and is unlikely to be rekindled any time soon. The new Government had an opportunity to deliver on its election promises. It failed abysmally on one of the key issues. It didn't renegotiate the EU/IMF deal to withhold repayments to the senior bondholders, as promised. It might have been shot down in flames had it persisted with this approach. But it would have preserved its credibility at home. Its proposed bank reorganisation is a whitewash, and only intended to distract us from the cover-up of what is going on at the highest level in Europe. This is not totally unexpected, but it is very disappointing. Weeks before the general election Pat Rabbitte and Simon Coveney said, on separate occasions, that protectin...

Property prices now down 51pc from peak of boom... HOUSE prices across the country are now worth less than half of their value during the property boom, according to the latest price survey. The Sherry FitzGerald price index shows that average prices for second-hand homes nationally have fallen to 51.1pc of their highest value during the peak of the housing boom in 2006. Prices have dropped even further in the capital with the average second-hand home in Dublin now worth almost 56pc less than in 2006. The stark figures released yesterday reveal that the value of houses across Ireland is now back at early 2002 levels. At a comparative level it means prices -- especially in the Dublin market -- are now the same as they were 20 years ago. The grim news comes on the same day that banking stress tests released by the Central Bank yesterday predict the four leading banks will need an injection of €24bn in capital to offset future losses. Among the predictions are that they stan...

Property tax on way within year... THE Government has been ordered by the EU/IMF to impose a property tax on all homeowners within a year. The controversial annual tax is expected to be announced in December's Budget -- even though it was not in the Programme for Government. The imposition of the tax and the precise timeline for its roll-out are key requirements for Ireland to avail of the EU/IMF €85bn bailout package. And the Department of the Environment confirmed that the tax will rise within a year of being introduced. Details of how and when the so-called 'site-valuation tax' will be introduced and increased are in a briefing note prepared by civil servants for Environment Minister Phil Hogan. The document has been obtained by the Irish Independent. Under the heading "EU/IMF requirements", the document states that Ireland must "adopt a property tax by end Q4 (quarter 4) 2011", adding that this tax must then be increased by the end of 201...