House in Northern Ireland?

Stinicker

I have been looking online recently and have noticed there is some really good value to be had in the North recently in property. I would not mind buying a cheap house up there as there are several in the <€50k mark. Obviously I would like to buy in a Catholic area and somewhere in near Belfast. What would be the pitfalls to look out for? and what sort of charges are up there in relation to taxation etc. are there?

Cavehill Red

Stinicker wrote: »

I have been looking online recently and have noticed there is some really good value to be had in the North recently in property. I would not mind buying a cheap house up there as there are several in the <€50k mark. Obviously I would like to buy in a Catholic area and somewhere in near Belfast. What would be the pitfalls to look out for? and what sort of charges are up there in relation to taxation etc. are there?

There are property taxes there this long time. Called rates - amount depends on a valuation of the house some five years or so ago. But can be in excess of a grand annually for a decent sized family home in Belfast.

Location, location, location. Belfast is a very complex town, recently at war with itself. Some parts (BT9, etc) are well desired, a la D4. Others are not. Ghettos can be safer than plusher areas that are near peace lines. But some peace lines are peaceful and others are perennially trouble.

Where do I see value in Belfast? East Belfast, but it's not Catholic. It went up and down in the bubble and terraced family homes are once again good value. Catholic areas are tricky, because Belfast's nationalist areas have been filling up for years with people from rural areas, while loyalist areas have been evacuating out to places like Lisburn and Ballymena. So capacity exists more in the Protestant areas. To a degree, this has been taken up by foreign migrant workers.

50K will not get you a good house in a decent area in Belfast or near it. 120 certainly will, though. It's definitely cheaper than Dublin even now and living costs are much, much lower. So are wages though.

Personally, I'd avoid most of West Belfast. Places like Andytown or the Lower Falls are very overpriced for what they are, which is Republican slums. No doubt people will disagree with that categorisation, but I speak as a native.

It depends how close to town you want to be. In town, the Holy Lands and surrounding areas are great, but relatively expensive and prone to student wankery.

Slightly further out, I'd think Northside. The Antrim Road/Cavehill Road areas are underpriced and have splendid early 20th century housing stock for prices that would make a Dubliner's eyes water. Think Ranelagh or Terenure for comparison. For upper Antrim Road, think Foxrock with sea views.

The problem with North Belfast is that unlike the other parts of town it is a patchwork quilt of affiliations. Do your homework on any property and preferably ask a local what the area is like. South Belfast is (mostly) uniformally affluent. mixed and middle class. East Belfast is Protestant as far as Sydenham, from where it becomes the most posh part of the entire island. West Belfast is Catholic, bar the Shankill.

If you've any further questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer.

ABajaninCork

Well - I'm not too familiar with the areas up North.

But I can tell you, you'll be liable for council tax if the property is occupied. What the rateable value will be, you'll have to take up with the council concerned.

I don't think water rates are payable in the North as yet, but you'll need to check.

You might also need to open a UK bank account (Ulster, Northern Bank, etc).

Have a look at this site for more info: http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index.htm

HTH

Stinicker

The though just crossed my mind as all. How far have things come in terms of peace? How would the locals take it if I was for example to buy a house in a predominantly protestant Unionist area? I am a Catholic from Kerry but am totally apathetic to the entire politics and as far as I'm concerned we'd be far better off if the entire country was still in Union with Britain. I would be after more of a fixxer-upper type of house than a turnkey property fit to move into.

Plan would be to buy the house, turn the key on the door and gradually improve it myself over the years, I'm in my twenties so I have foresight that while we may be totally screwed down here now, in twenty years or so our economy will be back on track and things can't last bad forever. Green shoots will come in the North first and under British Rule they will always be ahead of our corrupt shower.

I really like belfast myself and consider that perfect mix of Irish & Britishness with a different outlook and well away for the atypical bollocksology that I am so used to down here. If I were to buy it would be for the long term and selling is not something that really enters my vocabulary. I would be buying with cash and not borrowing also.

Cavehill Red

Stinicker wrote: »

The though just crossed my mind as all. How far have things come in terms of peace? How would the locals take it if I was for example to buy a house in a predominantly protestant Unionist area? I am a Catholic from Kerry but am totally apathetic to the entire politics and as far as I'm concerned we'd be far better off if the entire country was still in Union with Britain. I would be after more of a fixxer-upper type of house than a turnkey property fit to move into.

Plan would be to buy the house, turn the key on the door and gradually improve it myself over the years, I'm in my twenties so I have foresight that while we may be totally screwed down here now, in twenty years or so our economy will be back on track and things can't last bad forever. Green shoots will come in the North first and under British Rule they will always be ahead of our corrupt shower.

I really like belfast myself and consider that perfect mix of Irish & Britishness with a different outlook and well away for the atypical bollocksology that I am so used to down here. If I were to buy it would be for the long term and selling is not something that really enters my vocabulary. I would be buying with cash and not borrowing also.

It's not your attitude you need to be wary of but that of others.

Some areas will take badly to ANY outsider, even those of the same religion. I've Protestant pals in parts of South Belfast who get sh!t from some neighbours because their ancestors weren't born and buried in the locality.

With a Kerry accent, I'd stay clear of working class Protestant areas entirely. Even in some middle class areas, it might not go down too well. One relative, who's American, had no problem in a working class Catholic neighbourhood for a few years. But you can be sure the locals made a point of checking him out, and he got pressganged into the local community whether he liked it or not.

In student areas, they're well used to Southern Irish accents, and in a lot of Catholic areas too. There would be no hassle in any of those. That covers West Belfast, about half of North Belfast, and most of South Belfast.