To buy or not to buy in Dunboyne...

EmerBaggott

Hi,My hubby and I both work close to Dublin city centre. We have seen a house we like in Dunboyne & although we are not at all familiar with the area it looks very nice & seems to have all the necessary facilities. Can someone tell me some words of advice in relation to this area. What is traffic like coming & going from Dublin, & is the train service any good? Everything greatly accepted, thanks in advance

athtrasna

First question is do you want to live in Dunboyne? Are you happy to spend an hour + each way, every day commuting to work? Do you plan to use the house as purely a bed and weekend stop or do you want to build a social life etc in the town? Do you have friends/family in the area? Did you view the house wanting to live in the area, or does budget mean you need to live that far into commuter land?

Sorry I've asked so many questions but these are the sort of things you need to work out. A lot of the people hit hard in the property bust were people who bought property deep into commuter land with a view to selling up and moving closer to where they actually wanted to live in a few years. It didn't turn out to be the stepping stone they thought it would be.

Gary The Gamer

Not familiar with the area yet you are ready to buy and tie yourself down to a single property for at least ten years based on a few words online? Do your research but you really need a minimum of 6 months renting in an area before you begin to figure it out.

BostonB

I would rent before buying for a while.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

athtrasna wrote: »

First question is do you want to live in Dunboyne? Are you happy to spend an hour + each way, every day commuting to work? Do you plan to use the house as purely a bed and weekend stop or do you want to build a social life etc in the town? Do you have friends/family in the area? Did you view the house wanting to live in the area, or does budget mean you need to live that far into commuter land?

Sorry I've asked so many questions but these are the sort of things you need to work out. A lot of the people hit hard in the property bust were people who bought property deep into commuter land with a view to selling up and moving closer to where they actually wanted to live in a few years. It didn't turn out to be the stepping stone they thought it would be.

Dunboyne is hardly the wild west, its near Blanch! Its probably one of the closest commuter towns to Dublin.

athtrasna

deccurley wrote: »

Dunboyne is hardly the wild west, its near Blanch! Its probably one of the closest commuter towns to Dublin.

It's still an hour or more to the city centre whether driving or using public transport. That's a significant commute when both partners work in or around the city centre. It's also a significant taxi fare in the event of socialising in the city centre.

OP have a look at the other thread on the go at the moment about living in Kildare and working in Dublin. Many parallels.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

The_Conductor

Dunboyne is just outside Clonee- and both are in Co. Meath, but only just.
Personally, I'd echo the sentiment above- and rent for a few months to see whether it suits or not (what seems great now, might turn into a nightmare when school runs begin in September- and the long summer evenings might not reflect driving for an hour in the dark in the wintertime etc).

You have the dual carriageway all the way into to Castleknock, and also good access to the M50 etc- the road network is very good. I'm not familiar with the public transport- however you're just down the road from Clonee etc- which have better bus routes than do Dunboyne itself.

Rent and try it?

nemo32

Where do you live now?
If you live close to where you work you will probably find it hard to get used to the commute but dunboyne. But plenty of people do it everyday. Alot of people drive to Blanchardstown and commute from there during the week.
Dunboyne has plenty of nice restaurants and pubs so i don't see a need to always travel to town for the social scene. Taxi approx 35 euro from town.
Great schools, sizeable houses and great residents so it all really depends what you want from the area you settle down in!

EmerBaggott

Well I guess one has to sacrifice something in order to gain in other ways. Bigger house & garden, in quite & safe area, nice small community spirit but with all services in the village...Ya one may have to sacrifice a few mins extra travelling but :-/ It seems so close now with the new motorway, its main roads the whole way into town...

EmerBaggott

For me it wouldnt matter commuting as my shifts are 13 hr shifts, starting at 7:30 & finishing late so I wouldnt b travelling in peak. So in relation to using public transport, im hearing theres better bus+train services from clonee+clonsilla & would b worth travelling from there yes? From driving around in Dunboyne & talking to a friend who lives there Iv got a great vibe for the area. Still very quaint feel to the village which is nice. Currently living in Skerries so the commute we'd b kinda used to. Renting isnt really wat we wanna do at this stage :-\

JustAThought

My boss bought a lovelly house in Dunboyne: at the time. I believe it's now in what is commonly referred to as " the floodplains of Dunboyne". Built on an old flood plain; can't get insurance; flooded 3 times now. Google floods & Dunboyne: should help.

I agree with the other poster; I would ve doing serious research if I was looking into buying: timetables, planning permissions, planned projects ( monster sewage plant anyone ; lusk ) etc... there are too many issues out there & I would not be buying on the whim of a few posts in boards ( sorry folks!)

Also there a quite a few places in Dunboyne affected by pyrite. ( as with other areas); however this is something I would be seriously on red alert for.

gabsdot40

I live in Blanchardstown and I know a few people who live in Dunboyne and I
it seems to be a nice place to live and bring up a family. It has a village feel and is a friendly place.
One thing I'd worry about though is flooding. Dunboyne was very badly flooded 10 years ago. (I was stranded on the other side of the village and had to walk through the flood waters to get home that night). You should make sure the house you buy is not a flood risk.

MightyMunster

A lot of flood relief work done since then and no floods since, despite plenty in Dublin. There is a floods website where you can see where has been flooded, www.flooding.ie.

Nice spot moved here 3 years ago, rented first then bought. Plenty of bars, restaurants etc..
Train into Docklands is 25minutes. 40 mins on the bus off peak, less than 10 mins to the M50 in the morning.

I definitely prefer it to Blanch, Castleknock, Carpenterstown where I rented previously.

EmerBaggott

Wow thank you for that info as I hadnt heard of flooding in Dunboyne. But as tgis was 10 yrs ago & work has been done to it in the mean time, maybe its a past problem :-/

The Idyll Race

EmerBaggott wrote: »

For me it wouldnt matter commuting as my shifts are 13 hr shifts, starting at 7:30 & finishing late so I wouldnt b travelling in peak. So in relation to using public transport, im hearing theres better bus+train services from clonee+clonsilla & would b worth travelling from there yes? From driving around in Dunboyne & talking to a friend who lives there Iv got a great vibe for the area. Still very quaint feel to the village which is nice. Currently living in Skerries so the commute we'd b kinda used to. Renting isnt really wat we wanna do at this stage :-\

There is no railway station in Clonee. Dunboyne is the nearest to it. There is a railway station in Clonsilla all right.


Direct link to timetable here so you can judge for yourself:

http://www.irishrail.ie/media/DublinMaynooth111.pdf

l0st_2009

From a quick look at daft and myhome - I think houses in Dunboyne are still over-valued. If you are not concerned about the commute to the city centre then there is much better value in other nearby villages such as Dunshaughlin (where you can get a 4 bed detached for under €200k), Clonee or Ratoath. Dunboyne has really expanded over the last decade and is rapidly loosing the village charm. The last census had the population at over 8000 for Dunboyne.

EmerBaggott

Hi, Well to be honest from talking to a number of people about all of those locations in relation to the areas as a whole including the local people, services & facilities in the area, transport, distance from town & etc...I have come to the conclusion that Dunboyne seems to be the best

Waitandsee

Also there a quite a few places in Dunboyne affected by pyrite. ( as with other areas); however this is something I would be seriously on red alert for.[/QUOTE]

JustAthought, I have been looking at a few houses in Dunboyne also, do you know which areas are affected by pyrite. Some of the estates are new so would be afraid it might not be obvious yet!!!

EmerBaggott

Im really not sure abiut pyrite in Dunboyne :-/

The Idyll Race

l0st_2009 wrote: »

From a quick look at daft and myhome - I think houses in Dunboyne are still over-valued. If you are not concerned about the commute to the city centre then there is much better value in other nearby villages such as Dunshaughlin (where you can get a 4 bed detached for under €200k), Clonee or Ratoath. Dunboyne has really expanded over the last decade and is rapidly loosing the village charm. The last census had the population at over 8000 for Dunboyne.

Dunboyne has a railway station, the others don't. That's the killer app for me. Clonee village is not exactly "charming" either. As far as the pyrite issue is concerned the OP should ask the estate agents! That can't be covered up. Simples.

Galego

EmerBaggott wrote: »

Im really not sure abiut pyrite in Dunboyne :-/

Did you buy in Dunboyne at the end?

Polly wolly

The commute by train from dunboyne is not one hour but is in fact 25 minutes at normal times and 35 mins max at rush hour. I've lived in dunboyne for 17 years now and find that most dubs think its as far away as Ashbourne or dunshaughlin but is in fact just 10.7 miles from o Connell bridge.so go ahead and buy it's a great location for everything and much better value than Dublin.

amtc

Are you mad? I drove from where I live in Waterville, Blanchardstown to Dunboyne earlier - 8.3km.....and I am just over 9km from Blanchardstown to O'Connell St!

The_Conductor

amtc wrote: »

Are you mad? I drove from where I live in Waterville, Blanchardstown to Dunboyne earlier - 8.3km.....and I am just over 9km from Blanchardstown to O'Connell St!

Maybe it might be an idea to work out what that is.......

Waterville to Dunboyne 8.3km = 5.15 miles
Waterville to O'Connell Street 9km = 5.6 miles

Total = 10.75 miles

Remember 1km = .62 miles......

Polly wolly is pretty much bang on the buck- if your calculations of what it is from Waterville to Dunboyne and from Waterville to O'Connell Street bridge are, are accurate.

beauf

You can check out the duration of the train times on the Irish rail site.

Yesterday one was showing 25 mins. None tomorrow. Maybe it varies from day to day. Still not too bad.

00:38
00:37
00:37
00:39
00:43
00:38
00:39
00:37
00:39
00:37
00:38
00:37
00:39
00:40
00:37
00:38

handlemaster

I wonder why OP would not just buy the in D15 closer for their work public transport and similar priced houses. Commuting time doesn't long adding up and that s time that can be better spent

Moonbeam

Not everyone would like to live in D15.
Some people prefer to be out in a small town.

According to AA Roadwatch.
Dunboyne to O'Connell bridge is 18.83km and 27 minutes.

Waterville is not on the list so I used the Hartstown Road for D15.
14.64km and 23 minutes.

There is little difference.
The train from Dunboyne is less packed and there is loads of parking though.

Personally I travel to Dunboyne every day and I would not like to live there,not because it is not a lovely place but because there is very little there and I like having nearly everything I need on my door step.

beauf

Times on maps do not allow for traffic which between D.15 and city centre can be very bad. Traffic on the N3 can be brutal at times also.

Off peak theres only 5 mins between them.

Then again where doesn't have traffic.

nemo32

Moonbeam wrote: »

Not everyone would like to live in D15.
Some people prefer to be out in a small town.

According to AA Roadwatch.
Dunboyne to O'Connell bridge is 18.83km and 27 minutes.

Waterville is not on the list so I used the Hartstown Road for D15.
14.64km and 23 minutes.

There is little difference.
The train from Dunboyne is less packed and there is loads of parking though.

Personally I travel to Dunboyne every day and I would not like to live there,not because it is not a lovely place but because there is very little there and I like having nearly everything I need on my door step.

What do you believe is missing from Dunboyne? Do you mean everything on your doorstep ie. walking distance?

Moonbeam

Yes, I mean within walking distance.

There are no supermarkets.

djimi

Not everyone needs to have a Tesco on their doorstep. Most people drive to the supermarket anyway, so its not exactly an issue if its a few km down the road.

nemo32

Moonbeam wrote: »

Yes, I mean within walking distance.

There are no supermarkets.

Yeah I wouldn't be able to do my shopping and walk home with it but I suppose I know what you mean.

Spar in the village is great for all your little bits you need outside of your weekly shop. The biggest Tesco's in the South is 10 mins down the road in maynooth and there is never any traffic.
And you have lidl and Aldi only up the road in Clonee

Moonbeam

More 15/20 minutes.
Unfortunately I have to drive there twice a day.
DIfferent people have different requirements for where they want to live,not everyone wants to be a 10 minute walk to the train and have everything they need within walking distance ,if they did we would all be living in the same place:)

Guinness69

Great place to live. Has shops lidl and Aldi Tesco in Maynooth, Blanchardstown center 10 min by car. Trains into city are fast 35 min or so. At the moment a house will sell in 3 weeks . Thats the avg at the mo. Great demand for property in Dunboyne. Hope you bought when you were looking.

Dredd_J

One of the best places I ever lived.
Loved it there.
I worked in the city center.
Commute was roughly 40 mins each way.

beauf

I think you'd be doing well to achieve 40 mins at peak everyday.

Dredd_J

beauf wrote: »

I think you'd be doing well to achieve 40 mins at peak everyday.

And yet I did. Every day, bar the once or twice every couple of months when a traffic accident messed up the roads.

beauf

Dredd_J wrote: »

And yet I did. Every day, bar the once or twice every couple of months when a traffic accident messed up the roads.

That very impressive.

You're actually beating the direct train everyday on some of the most heavily congested roads in the city.

I'd love to know your route.

Dredd_J

beauf wrote: »

That very impressive.

You're actually beating the train between stations everyday on some of the most heavily congested roads in the city.

Whatever you say. You obviously drive a different way than i do.
Whats your route and how often have you done it?

beauf

Not with you. I don't do it. I just think it would be useful for others, that driving is quicker than the train.

The_Morrigan

Folks this is A&P, if you wish to discuss commuting times and routes please take it to Commuting & Transport.

Thanks

Big Davey

EmerBaggott wrote: »

Wow thank you for that info as I hadnt heard of flooding in Dunboyne. But as tgis was 10 yrs ago & work has been done to it in the mean time, maybe its a past problem :-/

They have not moved the river last time I checked Larchfield and the like were ALWAYS flood plains and always will be and you will find selling very hard and insuring totally impossible. I lived in Dunboyne for about 8 years and hated the place it's not Dublin and it's not Meath it's no mans land full of wanna be dubs and wanna be culchies. The pubs can be rough on occasions as the locals DO NOT like outsiders and are VERY clannish. The council estates in Dunboyne have lots of undesirables in my opinion and it does not have the village atmosphere some claim just drive around and night and look at the thugs and thugettes hanging around. Either stay in Dublin and go no further than Clonsilla village or bite the bullet and go 20 mins further out the road to summerhill or trim and get a stunning house in a proper country town/village. Good luck with your search.

Guinness69

Old board I know . Flooding was sorted out a long time ago. Dunboyne is a great place to live in . Great community . Great schools plenty of shopping with the Blanchardstown center nearby also Maynooth and aldi and lidl in clonee. Train service and bus to city no probs