Castlepark, Maynooth

tellmesomethin

darkienero wrote: »

Sorry yeah i didnt mean they offered it to you!
Thats very interesting, might have a another look at these so! No way I'd pay anything near the asking price with such a small garden!

True, very compact development.... Although you could share a lawnmower for the estate

kevint

Interesting little flurry of activity on this thread!
At least we seem to have established a few things such as that 245k was accepted.... actually it wasn't accepted.... actually it was accepted.... crikey I'm getting confused here by this flip flopping unverifable account??
Anyway, "tellmesomethin" figures of 8 years and 3 years are confirmed as just a "crazy guess" by a contributor who appears to have zero previous experience in the property market.
I have purchased a detached in this estate which is currently under construction, and having previously owned a 4 bed semi in Lucan and having spent the last 3 years closely watching the housing market in the area of Lucan, Maynooth, Leixlip and Celbridge I can confidently say that when everything is considered Castlepark offers far better value than anything else I have seen in this area. Who knows where the propertry market will go over the next few years, there are some signs of it stablising and the economy seems to have stabilised over the last 2 years - albeit it at a very low point, but even an economy with 15% unemployed will have a property market bottom which in this case is now approximately 55% below the quite ridiculous peak prices of 2007.

tellmesomethin

kevint wrote: »

Interesting little flurry of activity on this thread!
At least we seem to have established a few things such as that 245k was accepted.... actually it wasn't accepted.... actually it was accepted.... crikey I'm getting confused here by this flip flopping unverifable account??

It was accepted, I didn't go ahead with it.

Anyway, "tellmesomethin" figures of 8 years and 3 years are confirmed as just a "crazy guess" by a contributor who appears to have zero previous experience in the property market.

I bought one house before in 03, sold it in early 08.

I have purchased a detached in this estate which is currently under construction, and having previously owned a 4 bed semi in Lucan and having spent the last 3 years closely watching the housing market in the area of Lucan, Maynooth, Leixlip and Celbridge I can confidently say that when everything is considered Castlepark offers far better value than anything else I have seen in this area.

You are emotionally attached and can no longer look at this objectively.

Who knows where the propertry market will go over the next few years, there are some signs of it stablising and the economy seems to have stabilised over the last 2 years - albeit it at a very low point, but even an economy with 15% unemployed will have a property market bottom which in this case is now approximately 55% below the quite ridiculous peak prices of 2007.

The property market will not recover in the short to medium term, no economist or vested interest is bold enough to suggest otherwise. I also would like to point to 3/4 very severe budgets ahead of this Republic and property/water taxes averaging 1K annually.

It seems you'd like others interested in these houses to pay the asking price, that baffles me.

aaabbbb

shangri la wrote: »

EA definately chancing their arm.

There is something in the region of 16,000 students in the local university.

10,000 actually we out number the population of Maynooth by 2,000 . Though I'm not sure with the new census has that changed or not....

kevint

tellmesomethin wrote: »

The property market will not recover in the short to medium term, no economist or vested interest is bold enough to suggest otherwise. I also would like to point to 3/4 very severe budgets ahead of this Republic and property/water taxes averaging 1K annually.

It seems you'd like others interested in these houses to pay the asking price, that baffles me.

Who said anything about a property market recovery, please reference??
I suggested that it may be STABILISING - massive difference (actually about a 55% difference).

I am actually rather pleased that the market has collapsed as I could never afford a detached house in Castlepark if it were at 2007 prices (although the banks would be probably dumb enough to lend the money back then).

To offset those future property tax and water charges perhaps you should consider buying an A energy rated home!!

Rebelski

tellmesomethin wrote: »

You have bought a house now and so are a little emotional over prices continuing to fall. I on the other hand can be impartial and share my experience of offering 245k and having it accepted before opting for a house on an acre.

Sounds like you're going to have to live with your decision. Just let others take advantage of a very weak market.

Your first accurate fact since you've started TMS, but your still raving!

Yes I have bought a house there, but I am in no way emotionally connected to dropping house prices, as I anticipated this would be the case for next couple of years

You see our decision to buy in this estate goes beyond getting one over on the builder. The merits of the estate have already been considered in this thread, so I'm not going to return to that. It sounde like if there is anyone emotionally challenged here its you, your still waiting to take a jump and buy in the current market. Grow a pair.

I'm so happy with our decision you have no idea, . We love, love, love this estate. And the more we speak to future neighbours, the more we cant wait. And we are getting great value for money

So best of luck to you. You are right to get your money working for you, and hopefully you get the solitude you need on that acre of yours, we all do.

JustAThought

littlediver wrote: »

Well that's the end of my thoughts about buying a Castlepark Home. Live Line today revealed that the builder is the one who is responsible for all the pyrite homes in Leixlip. He transferred his assets and set up Mason Homes. Prime Time were at Castlepark estate today so there is bound to be coverage of it on a future episode.

I'm genuinely sorry to be the person to bring this to your attention from the start if the thread 20 months ago: but did you not spot this?

If I were you and had just bought or signed a contract I would be back screaming at the solicitor to get me the * out of it : immediately.

I would also be looking to contact & post onto the Pyrite action Group on Facebook to see if anyone in the estate would PM you privately if they thought their house there was affected.
Because IF this is true, and the poster refered to podcasts on Lifeline that are available, I would be talking non-disclosure & breach of contract if the EA , the local solicitor it the builder or it's agents knowing sold with this invitation to hand and didn't advise you.

If it's true, lovely house & estate or not, you need to get out.

Seriously.

kevint

JustAThought wrote: »

I'm genuinely sorry to be the person to bring this to your attention from the start if the thread 20 months ago: but did you not spot this?

If I were you and had just bought or signed a contract I would be back screaming at the solicitor to get me the * out of it : immediately.

I would also be looking to contact & post onto the Pyrite action Group on Facebook to see if anyone in the estate would PM you privately I they thought their house there was affected. Because IF this is true, and the follow immolated refered to podcasts on Lifeline that are available, I would be talking non-disclosure & breach of contract if the EA , the local solicitor it the builder or it's agents knowing sold with this invitation to hand and didn't advise you.

If it's true, lovely house & estate or not, you need to get out.

Seriously.

Yes, I was of course aware of this.
Pyrite is an issue with a contaminated supply chain (of aggregate material used in concrete I believe?) that affected multiple suppliers, builders, estates and ultimately homeowners. Legal liability is very unclear - homebond have paid up in many cases.

Pyrite is now only an issue for those unfortunate to have been caught up in the above mess. However, I did make a point with my solicitor confirming that my 10% deposit in Castlepark remained in a bonded and was not payable to the builder until sale closure.

JustAThought

Hi; no. Pyrite is nothing to do with cement it is in the subsoil beneath the cement & foundations ; brought in in bulk from quarries who supply it to builders. So it is feasible that an order of X tonnes of " infill" ordered by a builder for mumtiple builds would be used & delivered to multiple sites . Hence the concern in relation to the build.

Homebond has walked away from any payouts for the past 7+ years in relation to pyrite : and only a very few esets of estates/ homeowners gave managed to successfully " sue" the builders in relation to re costs of getting the pyrite issue fixed.

I understand that there are 60,000 + houses/ homeowners affected; most of whom Will be left with the issue. I believerhe " private" cost of remedying pyrite houses is anecdotally being put between 45-60k. Most insurance companies refuse to cover it ( legal precedence is set) and have clauses disclaiming it in their contracts.

I would seriously be stringently researching this if I had any inkling there was an issue with pyrite in the area or the builder with pyrite ; and PARTICULARLY if there had Been a lifeline or today tonight special on it & the builder.

kevint

JustAThought wrote: »

Hi; no. Pyrite is nothing to do with cement it is in the subsoil beneath the cement & foundations ; brought in in bulk from quarries who supply it to builders. So it is feasible that an order of X tonnes of " infill" ordered by a builder for mumtiple builds would be used & delivered to multiple sites . Hence the concern in relation to the build.

Homebond has walked away from any payouts for the past 7+ years in relation to pyrite : and only a very few esets of estates/ homeowners gave managed to successfully " sue" the builders in relation to re costs of getting the pyrite issue fixed.

I understand that there are 60,000 + houses/ homeowners affected; most of whom Will be left with the issue. I believerhe " private" cost of remedying pyrite houses is anecdotally being put between 45-60k. Most insurance companies refuse to cover it ( legal precedence is set) and have clauses disclaiming it in their contracts.

I would seriously be stringently researching this if I had any inkling there was an issue with pyrite in the area or the builder with pyrite ; and PARTICULARLY if there had Been a lifeline or today tonight special on it & the builder.

See the link below in relation to a recent report providing an update:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0719/1224320380933.html

It estimates that about 2k houses require repairs and its an issue with houses build between 2002-2006. Castlepark started building in mid 2011. A colleague of mine has a pyrite issue with her townhouse in Malahide (built in 2005) and is being funded by Homebond - I guess she maybe one of the lucky ones!!

yanqingliqici

kevint wrote: »

See the link below in relation to a recent report providing an update:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0719/1224320380933.html

It estimates that about 2k houses require repairs and its an issue with houses build between 2002-2006. Castlepark started building in mid 2011. A colleague of mine has a pyrite issue with her townhouse in Malahide (built in 2005) and is being funded by Homebond - I guess she maybe one of the lucky ones!!

This is a disturbing issue anyway. Can I ask if the builder has provided any assurance to those who have bought there? Thanks...

Rebelski

yanqingliqici wrote: »

This is a disturbing issue anyway. Can I ask if the builder has provided any assurance to those who have bought there? Thanks...

Spoke directly with the builder regarding this issue. The builder has been impacted by this issue previously, and has stood over 99% of the houses he has built, the remaining ones were from people who wanted the house repaired and compensation. All aggregate/concrete/cement is now tested before coming onsite, with strict specifications on building standards that were sadly lacking before. This new restrictions followson from all of the issues you have mentioned previously.

Again, your concerns are warranted, but can be mitigated by research, lessons learned, and of course contractual restrictions;)

Thanks for the heads up though

yanqingliqici

Rebelski wrote: »

Spoke directly with the builder regarding this issue. The builder has been impacted by this issue previously, and has stood over 99% of the houses he has built, the remaining ones were from people who wanted the house repaired and compensation. All aggregate/concrete/cement is now tested before coming onsite, with strict specifications on building standards that were sadly lacking before. This new restrictions followson from all of the issues you have mentioned previously.

Again, your concerns are warranted, but can be mitigated by research, lessons learned, and of course contractual restrictions;)

Thanks for the heads up though

Many thanks for the info... It doesn't make sense if the builder kept making the same mistake ...

sokol7998

hi all
Last weekend I spend all day with my family in Maynooth, really liked the town.
I am thinking to buy a house in Castlepark, 3 bed or 4 bed but I don't know if they will finish building it by the end of this year, ( mortgage tax relif ends in 2012), that's my first concern, second is the price, I would like to ask if anyone of who bought, paid, or has negotiated the price what would be the best selling price i could offer for 3 or 4 beds ?.
thx

JustAThought

yanqingliqici wrote: »

kevint wrote: »

See the link below in relation to a recent report providing an update:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0719/1224320380933.html

It estimates that about 2k houses require repairs and its an issue with houses build between 2002-2006. Castlepark started building in mid 2011. A colleague of mine has a pyrite issue with her townhouse in Malahide (built in 2005) and is being funded by Homebond - I guess she maybe one of the lucky ones!!

This is a disturbing issue anyway. Can I ask if the builder has provided any assurance to those who have bought there? Thanks...

Just a comment: again. If your builder has given " reassurances " re concrete / cement then he is talking *. It's like asking a dentist if he is qualified to do fillings & he answers that he is very good at tying shoelaces.
There are over 60,000 homeowners affected by pyrite; not 2 thousand. The government pyrite report issues in the past few weeks will verify this. The builders solution if declaring their companies " bust" or closing them & walking away from their moral obligations & opening another ( wife/children as directors/transfer of assets) is legally ok but hasn't helped any of the homeowners left *'d so far. The country is riddled with estates with this problem.

Again I know nothing about CT other than what was posted here, but I would be extremely concerned if HHS response you posted above was one your builder or words lawyer gave you as it is a worthless statement as per my dentists example.

Were it me, & I speak from sorry experience, I would be getting the * out.

JustAThought

JustAThought wrote: »

yanqingliqici wrote: »

kevint wrote: »

See the link below in relation to a recent report providing an update:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0719/1224320380933.html

It estimates that about 2k houses require repairs and its an issue with houses build between 2002-2006. Castlepark started building in mid 2011. A colleague of mine has a pyrite issue with her townhouse in Malahide (built in 2005) and is being funded by Homebond - I guess she maybe one of the lucky ones!!

This is a disturbing issue anyway. Can I ask if the builder has provided any assurance to those who have bought there? Thanks...

Just a comment: again. If your builder has given " reassurances " re concrete / cement then he is talking *. It's like asking a dentist if he is qualified to do fillings & he answers that he is very good at tying shoelaces.
There are over 60,000 homeowners affected by pyrite; not 2 thousand. Homebond had NOT remedied or paid tk remedy them ; home B have been allowed by the governments to walk away from their insurance obligations with NO remedy to the homeowners who paid a premium in their housecosts to have this " government endorsed" CIF regulated " extra" ( read worthless) insurance.
The government pyrite report issues in the past few weeks will verify this.

The builders solution of aueing each other to the High courts & then declaring rhemselves out of money to continue with the cases, or declaring their companies " bust" or closing them & walking away from their moral obligations & opening another ( wife/children as directors/transfer of assets) is legally ok but hasn't helped any of the homeowners left *'d so far.

The country is riddled with estates with this problem and the abnormal rate if radio & tV documentaries following the despair if homeowners testifies to the appalling inability of anyone involved or in authority to find a solution for the homeowners.

Roads & public projects are now specifying the no infill be sourced in Ireland such is the extent of the problem; it is not a " time bound" issue, and affects old age homes, hotels , roads, public infrastructure projects , apartments, houses etc . The quarries used are still open & operating.

Again I know nothing about CT other than what was posted here, but I would be extremely concerned if the response you posted above was one your builder or words that your lawyer gave you as it is a worthless statement as per my dentists example.

Were it me, & I speak from sorry experience, I would be getting the * out of any contract if there any glimmer of truth in this or if you thought the consequences were not worth the lifong gamble. It can take pyrite up to 6 or 7 years to manifest itself. I would be listening to those podcasts extremely attentively & speaking on FB privately to the pyrite Action Group ; and IF there was any truth or solid suspicion if it I would be liking to have any monies returned & contracted voided because if undeclared issues or lack or due professional diligence in relation to contracts.

As I said, I only read the original comment here on this thread & I know nothing of this oarticilular estate ; but I would be seriously doing massively thorough research & going to the primary data source of lifeline/podcasts/primetime reports/ pyrite action group/ goby reports.

Nobody should have to out up with the nightmare of a pyrite issue.

kevint

JustAThought wrote: »

There are over 60,000 homeowners affected by pyrite; not 2 thousand.

Maybe you should actually read the link I sent you previously that quotes the recent government report you mention on this matter and states that it is 2k houses - not 60k as previous worse case estimates put it at.

You have obviously been affected by Pyrite which is most unfortunate, but again as this report states its an issue with houses built from 2002-2006 and quite frankly is not my problem. To suggest that a builder in 2012 would knowingly use Pyrite is total and utter nonsense and I fail to see any logic in your hysterical remarks?

You appear to be on a personal crusade following your Pyrite experience which is fair enough, but please keep it real!

Sierra21

I bought four bedroomed semi detatched at asking price of two eight five. I was told at the time that this was the price and it was non-negotiable.

sokol7998

Sierra21 wrote: »

I bought four bedroomed semi detatched at asking price of two eight five. I was told at the time that this was the price and it was non-negotiable.

May I ask when was it?

yanqingliqici

Jammie01 wrote: »

Got an email today from the estate agent in charge of these, ten more detached are being released and will go to the best and final bids on Friday. Bids should be a minimum or in excess of 380k for eight of the houses and 390k for two with bigger gardens!!

I'm actually shocked, didnt think in times like these that houses would actually go for more than asking price?? Must be demand for these or could the estate agent be just chancing their arm?

According to the quoted, ppl were likely paying more than the asking price... ... We would appreciate any info concerning the bidding,... ...Thanx

Jammie01

as i mentioned above I have since heard of someone buying in the front row detached for 360k (20k below asking) and someone else mentioned an offer of 245k being accepted for the 4bed semi (40k below)

these are all anecdotal though and as a few posters have also mentioned in their purchases there was no room for negotiation.

On a more random note, does anyone know whether you could get different kitchens/fireplaces put in by the builders or just those offered? Or i wonder would there be discounts if you decided to leave these out and get them yourself?

kevint

Jammie01 wrote: »

as i mentioned above I have since heard of someone buying in the front row detached for 360k (20k below asking) and someone else mentioned an offer of 245k being accepted for the 4bed semi (40k below)

these are all anecdotal though and as a few posters have also mentioned in their purchases there was no room for negotiation.

On a more random note, does anyone know whether you could get different kitchens/fireplaces put in by the builders or just those offered? Or i wonder would there be discounts if you decided to leave these out and get them yourself?

I think the 360k price mentioned (although unverifiable) was for 1 of the first 8 detached houses at the front. It might possibly be true as the builder/EA was probably testing out the market for these properties around this time last year. I dunno about the 245K story for a semi-d (its a rather dubious account) but there's no harm in chancing it!

I purchased in the second phase of detached that are currently been built. There was a best and final bid process used to sell these. It appears that the demand for these was genuinely very high as they all sold immediately and I secured only my 4th choice house.

You can change pretty much anything in the house kitchens, wardrobes, bathrooms etc. The builder will refer you directly to the individual suppliers, and if there is a higher cost then you negotiate that with the supplier.

Jammie01

Yea youre probably right there Kevin, the story I had heard of the 360k was off the plans before showhouses were launched afaik.

yanqingliqici

kevint wrote: »

I think the 360k price mentioned (although unverifiable) was for 1 of the first 8 detached houses at the front. It might possibly be true as the builder/EA was probably testing out the market for these properties around this time last year. I dunno about the 245K story for a semi-d (its a rather dubious account) but there's no harm in chancing it!

I purchased in the second phase of detached that are currently been built. There was a best and final bid process used to sell these. It appears that the demand for these was genuinely very high as they all sold immediately and I secured only my 4th choice house.

You can change pretty much anything in the house kitchens, wardrobes, bathrooms etc. The builder will refer you directly to the individual suppliers, and if there is a higher cost then you negotiate that with the supplier.

If there is such high demand, it really dosen't matter if one was sold for 245 (even cheaper) in the past and it's a buyers market in general... We would certainly try 245 ...

sokol7998

yanqingliqici wrote: »

If there is such high demand, it really dosen't matter if one was sold for 245 (even cheaper) in the past and it's a buyers market in general... We would certainly try 245 ...

I was going to ask 245 for 3 beds, without kitchen, hmm, maybe it's worth to try for 4 beds...?

sockpuppets

sokol7998 wrote: »

I was going to ask 245 for 3 beds, without kitchen, hmm, maybe it's worth to try for 4 beds...?

Absolutely yes you should try. Its a buyers market and if people are not willing to look for a better deal, then the houses will sell for the asking price. At the very worst they will reject the offer, but at least you will know where you stand.

tellmesomethin

http://www.environ.ie/en/PyriteReport/

"IRELAND'S bank crash is the most expensive and deepest of any economy since the Great Depression, according to a new IMF report. The fund said that Ireland is the only country to suffer from fiscal costs, increases in public debt and output losses due to a banking crisis. And it said there is no sign of conclusion in the debt crisis. "Ireland holds the undesirable position of being the only country currently undergoing a banking crisis that features among the top 10 of costliest banking crises along all three dimensions, making it the costliest banking crisis in advanced economies since at least the Great Depression," according to the IMF paper, entitled Systemic Banking Crises Database: An Update. The crisis is set to deepen into 2012 and further into the future”.

We may be half way through the worst property crash in western history but why not go ahead and pay the asking price. Maybe offer a bit more just to secure. Maybe even queue all night for the next phase.

The bull**** being talked here is frightening.

kevint

tellmesomethin wrote: »

http://www.environ.ie/en/PyriteReport/

"IRELAND'S bank crash is the most expensive and deepest of any economy since the Great Depression, according to a new IMF report. The fund said that Ireland is the only country to suffer from fiscal costs, increases in public debt and output losses due to a banking crisis. And it said there is no sign of conclusion in the debt crisis. "Ireland holds the undesirable position of being the only country currently undergoing a banking crisis that features among the top 10 of costliest banking crises along all three dimensions, making it the costliest banking crisis in advanced economies since at least the Great Depression," according to the IMF paper, entitled Systemic Banking Crises Database: An Update. The crisis is set to deepen into 2012 and further into the future”.

We may be half way through the worst property crash in western history but why not go ahead and pay the asking price. Maybe offer a bit more just to secure. Maybe even queue all night for the next phase.

The bull**** being talked here is frightening.

Couldn't agree more - awful lot of bull being talked here alright!!

I missed your charming upbeat banter over the last few days. Following your latest apocalyptic predictions I think I might rush out and buy lots of tinned food and start building a nuclear bomb shelter!!

tellmesomethin

kevint wrote: »

Couldn't agree more - awful lot of bull being talked here alright!!

I missed your charming upbeat banter over the last few days. Following your latest apocalyptic predictions I think I might rush out and buy lots of tinned food and start building a nuclear bomb shelter!!

Nuclear bombs? What drugs are you on?

http://www.environ.ie/en/PyriteReport/

yanqingliqici

tellmesomethin wrote: »

Nuclear bombs? What drugs are you on?

http://www.environ.ie/en/PyriteReport/[/]

Could you please recommend some decent houses instead? Do you think it is not a good time to buy a house at all? If so, how long would you think one should hold? Paying a mortgage/ paying a rent, which strategy is better?