Fingal Affordable housing

Cantab.

lily lou wrote:

That was quick to get your interview I've been waiting over 3 months now, I'm so impatient now that I've made the decision to move out I want it to happen yesterday:rolleyes: . I know people seem to be saying theres no point in ringing but I think I'll ring and just ask anyway, even if they just tell me how long the waiting list for interview is it'll put my mind at ease that my application hasn't been lost!!

Just where is all this enthusiasm coming from? I wouldn't touch affordable housing with a barge poll.

ircoha

Cantab. wrote:

Just where is all this enthusiasm coming from? I wouldn't touch affordable housing with a barge poll.

Why not?

lily lou

Cantab. wrote:

Just where is all this enthusiasm coming from? I wouldn't touch affordable housing with a barge poll.

Why not? It's my only chance of getting a home of my own. I work in the childcare industry and love my job but unfortunately my salary isn't very big, I'm 30 years old and still live at home, I know I could rent but why should I pay someone elses mortgage?? I know a few people who have bought affordable houses and are really happy with their homes. If you know something the rest of us don't know please share it!!

chump

lily lou wrote:

Why not? It's my only chance of getting a home of my own. I work in the childcare industry and love my job but unfortunately my salary isn't very big, I'm 30 years old and still live at home, I know I could rent but why should I pay someone elses mortgage?? I know a few people who have bought affordable houses and are really happy with their homes. If you know something the rest of us don't know please share it!!

What a ridiculous comment. It's the very root of the problem that caused this bubble in the 1st place.

lily lou

chump wrote:

What a ridiculous comment. It's the very root of the problem that caused this bubble in the 1st place.

I actually don't think it's ridiculous, if there's a way I can buy my own house why shouldn't I take that chance? I know people who have their own house plus 2 or 3 others that they rent out, is it not the people that go out & buy up houses that caused the bubble rather than those who can't afford to buy and therefore are forced to rent?

Cantab.

lily lou wrote:

I actually don't think it's ridiculous, if there's a way I can buy my own house why shouldn't I take that chance?

Believe me, if that's your sole reason for buying in Ireland 2007, there'll be plenty of people about willing to take your hard earned off you.

lily lou wrote:

I know people who have their own house plus 2 or 3 others that they rent out,

Ever hear of the phrase "There's nothing that drives a man in to poor financial decisions, than the sight of his friends getting richer..."? [bastardised quote - couldn't be bothered googling it, I think it was JP Morgan or someone]

lily lou wrote:

is it not the people that go out & buy up houses that caused the bubble rather than those who can't afford to buy and therefore are forced to rent?

Another ridiculous observation. The above is simpleton economics at its very worst.

You deserve to get screwed over by developers in cahoots with local authorities if you can't see the light of day. It seems to me that you've become emotionally attached to the prospect of "owning" an affordable apartment somewhere, when in fact, house prices are dropping left, right and centre.

Wake up and smell the coffee! The Celtic tiger's dead and gone, with O'Leary in the grave. And we all know what happens when you fall off a tiger...

gurramok

johnjay wrote:

01/07/06 - I applied
24/07/06 - Got reciept
03/08/06 - Interview
30/08/06 - Got my certificate of approval.

Since then - I have heard NOTHING!

Mine is similar to yours JohnJay, applied in July, got cert approval start of August '06.

Out of the blue, Fingal did ring me for first time recently trying to flog off an 2 bed apt to me in cityside even extending the mortgage terms to the absolute limit(20k over what my prov loan amount was, despite interest rate gone up by 1% since loan approval and little change in my finances).
They stated that this is the only chance in 'many' months that similar properties will come up but i declined as i wont overstretch myself plus don't want to own a declining asset especially when my circumstances will change in the near future(with mrs gurramok)

I'll wait and see for another year as the market is tumbling, don't want to lose thousands trading up by buying now.

Somebody below me on the list will probably get a ring next, maybe you, don't let them pressure you, only take it if it suits for permanent needs and you can afford it.

johnjay

gurramok wrote:

Fingal did ring me for first time recently trying to flog off an 2 bed apt to me in cityside even extending the mortgage terms to the absolute limit(20k over what my prov loan amount was, despite interest rate gone up by 1% since loan approval and little change in my finances).

How much were they looking for it? I would be tempted to take Cityside, if offered it - I dont think we'll ever be offered something that close to the city centre again, and the chances of ever being offered a house are slim to none!

gurramok

johnjay wrote:

How much were they looking for it? I would be tempted to take Cityside, if offered it - I dont think we'll ever be offered something that close to the city centre again, and the chances of ever being offered a house are slim to none!

156k i think it was, yeh i think they only offer houses mostly in surrounding towns.

If my memory is correct, they also mentioned that Rush/Lusk would be in next round of offers later in the year for around 170k i think, probably houses.

macy10

gurramok wrote:

but i declined as i wont overstretch myself plus don't want to own a declining asset especially when my circumstances will change in the near future(with mrs gurramok)

I'll wait and see for another year as the market is tumbling, don't want to lose thousands trading up by buying now.

Somebody below me on the list will probably get a ring next, maybe you, don't let them pressure you, only take it if it suits for permanent needs and you can afford it.

Hi Gurramok,
I don't quite understand you!! What you really mean is that you've applied for affordable housing but you don't really want it now... because of the drop in house prices??; the fact that you're going to buy independently with your gf??; and that now you're just gonna pull tough with the council for about another year or so to see if house prices/interest rates drop??? Were you originally hoping that your affordable house was going to be your permanent home???

gurramok

No, it most probably be not a permanent home. I applied originally when the market was bouyant and trading up wouldnt cost a fortune in lost money.
The missus don't qualify to go on list yet as she is one of those who have debts to pay off even though she works in a good job though she can be put on the list with me when her finances are in order.

Everyone's situation is different, if i was single..i'd seriously consider taking the apt as a permanent home but as i am in a relationship, an apt might not suit in the future when settling down, small Irish apts are hardly places to raise a family.

Why buy now for that reason when there is a good chance i will have to move to a bigger place down the line and also lose thousands on the sale due to tumbling market?
If prices were steady or continually to rise like they were in last 10 years, it wouldnt be an issue as some people have made a profit on such trading up.

Plus a good many people on a housing list cannot afford to buy an affordable as well, there is no obligation to buy and you still keep your list place, a viewing offer just goes to next person on list.

All i'm doing is thinking ahead, all make sense?

macy10

yeah get ya now...:D
My outlook on the whole thing is that if you get an affordable property, hold on to it for even a year or two, well you're gonna make something on it, cause remember this government or a possible replacement government cannot afford for the housing market to slump in any dramatic terms as it is the then, the now and the future of the Irish economy. So I reckon if anything housing prices may level out (no harm) but you're not going to be loosing money. The country would just crash..:eek: :eek:

gurramok

Wish i had your optimism. I sincerely believe that they cannot do anything about a crash\correction when it happens(see other threads).

They cannot afford for anything negatively major to happen before an election in may\june but after that is anyone's guess and mine is pessimistic, cast your mind back to '02, alot of gloom happened to economy back then once the election was over.

Anyway, i'm doing others a favour by passing on any viewing offers i get onto the next person below me on the list.
I know one fella who waited 5 years to get an affordable until his time was right!

johnjay

I got a letter yesterday from Fingal advising me of "2 bed Ground and Upper Floor Apartments" in Meakstown. 10 Apartments in total. Prices from 146k (market value 305k) to 154,500 (market value 315k). Min deposits from €7300 to €7725. I have to phone them before Wednesday if I am interested, and they will arrange a viewing (provisionally set for Fri 30th Mar). According to the letter, "appointments to view these properties will be carried out in strict accordance with applicants placing on the list"

podge018

i got a the same from them, they're grand, im delighted with it and the area. I'd advise you not to go for a ground floor one though, the living area in them seems to be a lot smaller than the rest of them. 3rd floor would seem to be the best noise-wise but then you have the trouble of 3 flights of stairs.

macy10

hey podge when did you apply and get your loan approval???

macy10

hey Johnjay,
Congrats on your offer and it sounds just like what you were hoping for..close to the city centre and also the M50. Hope things work out for ya.

jdivision

I live there and wouldn't go top floor (which I did) because of the lack of lifts. One floor below that probably the best.

podge018

im on the first floor myself, and on the side NOT facing the bin sheds. It's ideal but then again I have nobody above or below me yet so noise hasn't been an issue.

Macy - I applied in November 05, got provisionally approved in Janaury 06, got the offer in September 06, formally approved in October 06 and finally got the keys in December 06.

podge018

Johnjay - the sooner you phone them the better I've figured, say 10 of you decide to go and look on Friday 30th, you'll be given the opportunity to buy in the order you returned your call. So whoever rang back first basically has first pick of the 10.

CherieAmour

podge018 wrote:

Johnjay - the sooner you phone them the better I've figured, say 10 of you decide to go and look on Friday 30th, you'll be given the opportunity to buy in the order you returned your call. So whoever rang back first basically has first pick of the 10.

That doesn't sound at all right to me. If, like you say, there are 10 people there on Friday for 10 apartments, they are offered in order of your place on the list which the Fingal representative has with them in the sales office.

In my experience, they invite more people than there are apartments. The importance of returning the call as soon as possible is to secure an appointment. As soon as the required number of people return the call to say they want to view, the less likely anyone who calls after that is of getting to view at all regardless of their place on the list.

podge018

No, that's not it. As you ring back, you are allotted a timeslot on the day, regardless of position on the main waiting list. First to ring back, gets the first time slot and so on.

CherieAmour

podge018 wrote:

No, that's not it. As you ring back, you are allotted a timeslot on the day, regardless of position on the main waiting list. First to ring back, gets the first time slot and so on.

That wasn't the way it worked for me. I called the day I got my first letter and they told me they would ring everyone back after the deadline to book an appointment had passed (the Thursday of that week).

Once the deadline has passed, they take no more calls. Then they take the names of everyone that expressed an interest, and organise them into time slots based on their placing on the list. I was told I was in the second last half hour for the properties I went to see because of my placing on the overall list, not when I made the phone call.

If they did it on a 'first ring, first appointment' basis, some poor person could be waiting years to get a place based on the fact that their post comes later than everyone else....

podge018

well I can only go on how mine was handled. When I rang I was alotted a time slot.

johnjay

Thanks everyone,

I phoned them twice today, but got no answer - so I left a voicemail for them to call me back - I'll call them again tomorrow.

I took a drive out there on Sunday, and yeah, its a nice area. I know the 3 flights or stairs would be a pain, but I think I would probably still prefer a top floor one as I hear the whole development has a lot of noise issues as its timber-framed. Anyway, I could do with loosing a few pounds!

Still though, I dont know if I will accept my first offer, maybe I should wait and see what else is on offer - though I'd say "Cityside" is more-or-less built now, and I cant see there being many more affordable properties going there.

I'll keep you all posted!

jdivision

Mine was the same as podge's. First to return call got first appointment. I was lucky because I went home for lunch that day, something I did only about three times that year!

CherieAmour

Gosh, that doesn't seem the fairest way at all of doing it!

jdivision

Sometimes it's done a first come, first served basis. Sometimes done based on place on the list.

johnjay

according to the letter from Fingal, "Appointments to view these properties will be carried out in strickt accordance with applicants placing on the list" - I read this as the time you are given for your appointment depends on where you are on their list, no matter when you phone them back.

SuzyS1972

I am viewing tomorrow but can any of the peeps on the board who live there tell me if pets are allowed - no point wasting my time if they are not !!!

Thanks