They will still be incentivising first time buyers to get on the ladder into 2021 and 2022 at least. That current scheme could be still there or if not something equally or more appealing I would say.
1 Like
If you are in a position to wait then houses aren’t going to go up in the next 12 months anyway. Worst case for a buyer is they remain pretty much the same as now and in the meantime you will have saved a bit more towards a deposit most likely. It is a perfect storm for us in that the timing and opportunity is right for us to buy a certain place that came up now, but if I was a younger man and not in a rush then I would definitely wait until next summer or later as my hunch would be you’ll eke out some more value then as a buyer.
The only thing is there are a world of people (professional couples) in middle and upper level incomes whose jobs haven’t been impacted much by the virus and what’s more have saved a bomb not going out the last six months from working from home and these people are now queuing up to buy. There is a serious supply issue with houses coming onto the market too with more people wanting to buy than there are houses, and this will remain so for another 2-3 years. Because of these reasons I don’t expect the arse to totally fall out of the price of houses. I personally think there is a bit of value even now that wasn’t there 12 months ago. I know the place I am buying now would not have been going at the same price if it was pre pandemic.
1 Like
So, long story - we had saved a deposit but were in no rush to set foot on the property ladder as we felt with brexit uncertainty and then covid that prices may drop in 2021. We had an initial meeting with a broker back in late June, more to get the lie of the land and the documentation needed in order and to see how much we would be likely to get approval for. We were looking at new developments over the last 6 months or so, more so with an eye to what was coming down the pipeline for next year.
The the government announced that the HTB was to be extended to 30K on a Friday night back in July. We went and looked at a very nice show house the following morning and there were limited units left one of which we really liked. Turned out that a couple already had a booking deposit down on it but pulled the plug a week previous as they couldn’t get a mortgage due to covid. As the area, house and price ticked all our boxes and the fact that we were getting 10k back into our pockets it felt as though the stars had aligned. I put down the holding deposit on the Tuesday despite not having mortgage approval but was certain it would come and the
We shipped on all the docs to the broker and the mortgage provider told us we would have the AIP letter in 8 working days - it took 4 weeks to get it - they blamed annual leave and covid for the delay.
That was fine, we then got a surveyor out and provided the necessary details for them to issue us an offer letter. Was told it would take a week, again this has taken the bones of 4 weeks again to finally get them to issue it but all is in place now.
8 Likes
Good stuff well all the stars aligned and you pulled the trigger so you did the right thing. We already have approval in principle so I have just sent them the details of the property and price agreed etc so hopeful we can move faster. Sounds like the process for you was only four weeks so after going sale agreed and going back to the bank with the property details.
2 Likes
Make sure you know where your nearest broadband connection point is. Eir are halfwits who could connect you anywhere and you want the closest one. Shorter distance = Faster speed.
Congratulations👍 Utilities is very straightforward for the ESB we took a meter reading the day we moved and all you need after that are the MPRN number on your existing property (on your bill) and the MPRN for the new property. As ours was an older house we got this from the auctioneer (your builder should have it) and it took about 2 minutes to change on Electric Ireland.
I know EIR gets bad press here but for us it couldn’t have gone smoother, went online about 4 weeks before we moved and gave the date of cutting off service on our old house and required date for installation in the new house. This was at the height of COVID in early May, they couldn’t give us the date we wanted but booked us in for 2 days later. Installer duly turned up on the day and had the BB installed in about 10 minutes. They also sent us an Apple TV box for EIR TV about 2 weeks before we moved.
We were with AES for refuse and again that ran smoothly gave around 4 weeks notice of change of address and they delivered bins to the new house the day we moved in.
Sounds all a bit daunting but set up a spreadsheet🤣 of tasks and keep track that way. That’s what we did and it all worked out well in the end.
2 Likes
An unusual word of advice. This is, I gather, a new build. In any new houses I’ve been in the builders generally throw a dumper full of topsoil onto the back, spread it, fire down grass seed and fuck off. Same for the front. The soil depth therefore is useless and the grass will be shit forever.
Keep your eye open and you’ll spot your man, the dumper kid. Fire him €50/100 and get him to hape in the topsoil front and back, it’s not his topsoil anyway. If you get a chance yourself spread it and sow the grass seed. Builders don’t give a shit but you’ll have Croke Park levels of grass if you follow the plan.
Best of luck, how the years have flown.
7 Likes
If it’s a house to live in it’s all equal
1 Like
Get 2 if you watch any volume if sport she doesn’t like
What front garden ? New builds generally have a path and then the road… Front gardens are a thing of the past…
1 Like
So there’s no real place for the outdoor Christmas tree then. Astonishing…
Flattys missus thought Howth was a shithole.
She liked Limerick though.
1 Like
Good luck with it mate. I wish you a happy home.
2 Likes
Germany’s first 3D-printed house, a two-storey family home, is being built near Dortmund using technology that could revolutionise construction.
The walls are laid down by a machine that follows a digital design to squirt concrete and mortar through a nozzle.
The concept is not new. Robots were used in Japan to help build skyscrapers in the 1980s. The first 3D printers for full-blown construction emerged in the 2000s. Since then they have been used to “print” houses, offices, museums and even a bridge in Spain.
Mighty Buildings, a company based in California, claims to be able to produce 3D-printed homes in less than 24 hours. A 33ft printer is currently building an estate of 50 homes in the Mexican state of Tabasco. Yet the North Rhine-Westphalian regional government describes the project in Beckum, which it has given €200,000 in funding, as the “future of construction”.
The experiment is being undertaken with an abundance of caution. The method and materials were extensively tested beforehand at the Technical University of Munich. The blueprints were scrutinised by the local planning authorities. “3D construction printing changes the way we build,” Leonhard Braig, a director at the Peri construction firm, said. “As this is the first building of its kind, we are . . . printing at a slower rate than what is possible.”
The Danish printing nozzle, said to be the world’s fastest, is mounted on an adjustable gantry frame supported by six steel girders around the home foundations. The machine is operated by two people.
The triple-skin cavity walls, filled with an insulating compound, are printed in layers a few centimetres deep, leaving gaps for water pipes and electrical wiring. Each square metre takes about five minutes to print.
It is uncertain whether 3D-printed homes will be cheaper than conventional techniques. Mr Braig said that the technology had “cost-reduction potential” but the final amount remains unclear
Fuck me was that a tough week youngest 1st week in Cark and new kitchen being put in my head is still ringing from all the banging and drilling. Tilers Monday and Tuesday sparkies Wednesday and kitchen lads the last 2 days. Almost finished thank god. Felt like living in a bedsit all week.
It’s awful irritating getting work done while you’re trying to live at the same time.
1 Like
Any chance of something similar here?
So the equivalent of 100% mortgages, just a portion of it at a lower interest rate?
(I haven’t read the article)
That’s worked out well in the 00’s
1 Like