Best Commuter Town to buy in

deepsea123

Hi Guys,

I want to buy a 2 bedroom apartment in Dublin. My budget is only 200 or 220K and not much property on the market for that budget. I'm now starting to look at the commuter towns near Dublin. Any advice on which one's would be the best. Am single in my early thirties and don't have any young kids, so I'm not looking to be near schools etc. I just want to be somewhere that is lively and nice for a relatively young person. Also ease of commute into Dublin is important.

Thanks

Idbatterim

surely you can get an apartment for that, my opinion is, it is madness given that you probably can afford to buy in dublin, to go through the bloody expense and hassle of commuting from a good bit further out...

road_high

A quick search on daft reveals loads at this price and lower of two bed apts;
http://www.daft.ie/dublin-city/property-for-sale/blackrock,dublin-city-centre,dublin-commuter-towns,north-co-dublin,north-dublin-city,south-dublin-city,west-co-dublin/?s%5Bmxp%5D=200000

Some of them look very nice too. Especially if you're young and single, why go through the hassle of a long commute.

SarahMollie

I'd rather buy something around D1 if I were you OP. You'd definitely get something for your money there. Should be lots of options around the Swords area too if that appeals? If you put in south county Dublin, the only results will be Tallaght (according to my previous 2 minutes spent on the daft website.)

road_high

I'm actually surprised at how affordable some of the properties are in Dublin and in great locations...decent apartments in Kilkenny aren't a whole lot behind Dublin's believe it or not :eek:

The Mulk

SarahMollie wrote: »

I'd rather buy something around D1 if I were you OP. You'd definitely get something for your money there. Should be lots of options around the Swords area too if that appeals? If you put in south county Dublin, the only results will be Tallaght (according to my previous 2 minutes spent on the daft website.)

I agree with D1 to buy, it will be easy to shift or rent out should you need more space, further on down the line.
It can be very hard to sell apartments in commuter towns, especially if they have management fees.
If you wanted to buy further out i'd be looking at a 2/3 bed house with no fees

thebeerbaron

Not sure about the best, but I would recommend checking out Leixlip & Maynooth if it is commuter towns & villages you want. Im from Leixlip & used to work in Maynooth so I know them both. You will find 2 bed apartments in nice areas for below your budget.

Idbatterim

the other thing I would say it, probably best to buy a two bed. If anything unforeseen happens with a partner etc or you lose job etc, at least you could probably take in €500-600 on the other room...

Just checking there, there are a good few 1 beds in city centre for that price. Given that we dont have a transport system and taxis are expensive op, depends on if you head out much, but Id be tempted to live somewhere central, where you could potentially ditch expense of car, have no need for taxis or public transport etc...

there were also a few 2 bed in crumlin asking 220k, at least you dont have the apartment service fee...

just read your OP again, young and single. Why in gods name would you even entertain moving to some rubbish commuter town?! your budget is ok for what you want in dublin, just about...

Eric Cartman

do not buy an apartment outside the M50 unless its on a luas line. A house is much better value, especially when you get out to 'needing a car' distance.

Moonbeam

If you can afford it Maynooth is a fantastic place to live. It is within the Dublin commuter area and has great pubs and restaurants.
I also bought a 2 bed in Balbriggan many years ago and you may even get a nice 3 bedroom there, it is a fine place to start off but we choose to move one we had kids.

zl1whqvjs75cdy

Depends where in town you need to get to. Pearse Street, heuston, baggot Street or elsewhere? This will have an impact on where would be handiest for you.

billyhead

Moonbeam wrote: »

If you can afford it Maynooth is a fantastic place to live. It is within the Dublin commuter area and has great pubs and restaurants.
I also bought a 2 bed in Balbriggan many years ago and you may even get a nice 3 bedroom there, it is a fine place to start off but we choose to move one we had kids.

Was going to say Balbriggan or even Lusk or Rush would be within your budget for a 2/3 bed house.

CreepingDeath

Moonbeam wrote: »

If you can afford it Maynooth is a fantastic place to live.

Maynooth property prices are probably inflated because of the college there... so it's prime rental area for students. It's served by Dublin bus so it's in the commuter belt, but probably at least a 45 min journey at the best of times.

So if you're looking around there, if might be more affordable looking at areas outside of reasonable walking distance from the college, but still within walking distance of a Dublin bus stop.

deepsea123

Thanks everyone. I had been looking at 2 bed apartments in Dublin around the 200k mark, but when I rang the estate agent most of the properties were sold at a much higher price therefore out of my budget.

Not overly keen on buying a 1 bed apartment, so that made me think of looking at the commuter towns but I don't know much about them.

Most likely to change jobs soon (as soon as I've purchased something), so ideally want to keep my commute options as open as possible. So would be good if wherever I buy I could get to business parks in North or west Dublin or the city centre

Worst case scenario, I will buy a 1 bedroom apartment

road_high

deepsea123 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I had been looking at 2 bed apartments in Dublin around the 200k mark, but when I rang the estate agent most of the properties were sold at a much higher price therefore out of my budget.

Not overly keen on buying a 1 bed apartment, so that made me think of looking at the commuter towns but I don't know much about them.

Most likely to change jobs soon (as soon as I've purchased something), so ideally want to keep my commute options as open as possible. So would be good if wherever I buy I could get to business parks in North or west Dublin or the city centre

Worst case scenario, I will buy a 1 bedroom apartment

How much over the asking price? Did you bid on any of them? Looking on daft there seems to be a lot advertised at well under 200k on many locations.

Nomis21

Swords, Rush, Lusk, Skerries, Balbrigan

Jen44

I bought in Drogheda for the same reasons as yourself! Lived out there for 10 years commuting to Dublin Mon- Fri. Found Drogheda a lovely place to live everything you need on your doorstep. The reason i moved back to Dublin really was because all my friends and family are in dublin and that became important to me when kids came along. The commute wasnt a bother i drove down the M1 and my husband got the matthews bus daily to dublin city centre!

emmajae

How about places along the DART line- Raheny, Portmarnock, Malahide? All have potential, not a maddening commute to the city & if you do need to get to it, the M50 is close.

~I hear people rage about increase in traffic on commuter routes & sounds like hell.
~ There is lots of development due for completion in next 5 years in the village.

Disc.: I've lived in Portmarnock for the last number of years (own apartment) & think it's a very special place (think we all think that about our homes..)- beach, good social scene & great neighbours.

What's important to you?

SmartinMartin

Northwood in Santry would tick a lot of the boxes. 2 beds are between 195 and 210, it's on several bus routes, it's close to the northern business parks and the m50 for access to the west.

Jen44

emmajae wrote: »

How about places along the DART line- Raheny, Portmarnock, Malahide? All have potential, not a maddening commute to the city & if you do need to get to it, the M50 is close.

~I hear people rage about increase in traffic on commuter routes & sounds like hell.
~ There is lots of development due for completion in next 5 years in the village.

Disc.: I've lived in Portmarnock for the last number of years (own apartment) & think it's a very special place (think we all think that about our homes..)- beach, good social scene & great neighbours.

What's important to you?

with a budget of 200- 220k the op would be hard pressed to find something in portmarnock

Sono

emmajae wrote: »

How about places along the DART line- Raheny, Portmarnock, Malahide? All have potential, not a maddening commute to the city & if you do need to get to it, the M50 is close.

~I hear people rage about increase in traffic on commuter routes & sounds like hell.
~ There is lots of development due for completion in next 5 years in the village.

Disc.: I've lived in Portmarnock for the last number of years (own apartment) & think it's a very special place (think we all think that about our homes..)- beach, good social scene & great neighbours.

What's important to you?

Lidl going into Portmarnock too, to be fair though there isn't much in the village itself, if you want a night out you really have to go to malahide and same goes if you want to eat out. Don't get me wrong I really like Portmarnock I just wish they would improve the amenities, also I don't think you would get an apartment there for 220k or less but open to correction on that.

deepsea123

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Northwood in Santry would tick a lot of the boxes. 2 beds are between 195 and 210, it's on several bus routes, it's close to the northern business parks and the m50 for access to the west.

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Northwood in Santry would tick a lot of the boxes. 2 beds are between 195 and 210, it's on several bus routes, it's close to the northern business parks and the m50 for access to the west.

What is Santry like to live in? Are there good amenities?

MayoSalmon

road_high wrote:

Some of them look very nice too. Especially if you're young and single, why go through the hassle of a long commute.

Ehhh which one exactly?!

SmartinMartin

deepsea123 wrote: »

What is Santry like to live in? Are there good amenities?

I don't know. There's not much of a centre to it. Northwood itself has shops, a restaurant and a very good hotel, plus sports centres and a private hospital. The grounds look lovely, and I was recently in one of the three beds and I was impressed with the size. The owner did say it was very quiet. There's a shopping centre with a cinema in the village, but I would say it's best asset is being closer to the city than any of the commuter towns for socialising purposes.

joey100

When me and my wife got a mortgage recently enough most of the banks had different requirements for 1 bed apartments. Not sure if this has changed since the newer rules were brought in but most banks were looking for around a 45% deposit for a one bed apartment. Another reason to look for a 2 bed at least.

EmmaMurray2016

I am in the same situation as you. I was looking for a house and I was getting further and further out of Dublin with my search. I just said to myself one night .... Wait?!? Sure I'm single why on the name of God would I want a house miles away from city centre. I'd be worrying about going out, coming home prices of taxis. So my search is now apartments in the City Centre or surrounding areas. So I have it handy to meet up with my friends for a drink and no commute to work. IF I meet someone then I can rent out apartment or sell up and buy house with him.

Fiona

Ashbourne, Co Meath

15 min drive to the M50 & airport, city centre 25 mins (early morning 6.30am)

Swords / Blanch / Navan / Drogheda all close by

Served by Bus Eireann and Ashbourne Connect & Dublin Bus nightlink

(I get the 6am Ashbourne Connect into Cc and that will have me up in St Stephens Green in 40 mins and return journey usually the same same goes for the 6.20am bus, I never go in any later so can't comment on the other buses, the Bus Eireann service could be a lot better but I have never had to rely on it so never bothered me)

Taxi approx. €30/40

Supervalue / Dunnes / Aldi / Lidl / Tesco

Decent places to eat and drink, quiet but not too quiet, safe enough never encountered any issues out on my own late at night.

Fiona

deepsea123 wrote: »

What is Santry like to live in? Are there good amenities?

Santry while it doesn't have a 'town centre' as such you have the Omni shopping centre and you are so close to Finglas / Ballymun / Drumcondra / Beaumont lots of services around for shopping / eating ect

Moonbeam

It really does depend on what you want to be near.
I was single when I bought my 1st house and I found Balbriggan slightly isolating.

http://www.daft.ie/dublin/apartments-for-sale/baldoyle/7-stapolin-house-the-coast-baldoyle-dublin-1224150/
http://www.daft.ie/dublin/houses-for-auction/balbriggan/24-new-haven-bay-flemington-balbriggan-dublin-1300560/
http://www.daft.ie/dublin/apartments-for-auction/dublin-7/71-the-hardwicke-smithfield-dublin-7-dublin-1327469/


Clonee,Waterville,Ongar and Tyrelstown in Dublin 15 should all have something within your budget.

Allsopp appear to have alot for auction on daft too,you may get better value for money at an auction.

the_syco

CreepingDeath wrote: »

Maynooth property prices are probably inflated because of the college there... so it's prime rental area for students. It's served by Dublin bus so it's in the commuter belt, but probably at least a 45 min journey at the best of times.

It also has a rail link, and has a nightlink service to it.

A bit quite during the summer, but lots of college students during the school term. For this reason, it's best to look for a house during the school term, so you know where the majority of the student houses are; no point in buying next to party central if you like your sleep! There are new apartments to the north of the village that look nice; a possible option?

deepsea123 wrote: »

Worst case scenario, I will buy a 1 bedroom apartment

Don't do this. They're worthless, as they're only bought by one person buyers. At least with a two bed, you'll get more space, and also more buyers should you need to sell later. Banks recognise this, and thus usually demand a higher deposit.

Moonbeam wrote: »

Allsopp appear to have alot for auction on daft too,you may get better value for money at an auction.

There's this, but go in with your eyes open; if it's too good to be true, your neighbour is probably a drug-dealing asswipe, so research the properties beforehand.

LG1234

Don't rule out South Clondalkin, around monastery road. 25 mins drive to town out of peak (16 euro in a taxi), 5 min walk to the red cow luas, red cow luas also has lots of buses to all over the country incl a twice an hour service to the airport. Literally on the m50 and n7 so no queuing to get onto the motorway. A short walk to clondalkin village which is lovely and the laurels is a great pub. Pretty quiet to, not like north clondalikin which is a few kms away. Still relatively cheap to.

Wesser

East wall. Great houses, right in the heart of the city, good prices. Just expect a few Halloween bonfires etc!!!

Muahahaha

Charlestown area of Finglas. 2 bed apartments going for around €150k. 140, 83 and 9 all go into town in about 30 mins, a taxi out is about €16 at night time. Dunnes, Aldi, Lidl all within 5 minutes of each other and then youve a huge Tesco in Clearwater with a Super Value and Iceland in Finglas village itself. Charlestown Shopping Centre not the best in the world but it is modern and has most things you would need. Theres a new cinema and Leisureplex open there now next to McDonalds and KFC. Access to the m50 is easy and you can be on it in just a few minutes.

asteroids over berlin

Muahahaha wrote: »

Charlestown area of Finglas. 2 bed apartments going for around €150k. 140, 83 and 9 all go into town in about 30 mins, a taxi out is about €16 at night time. Dunnes, Aldi, Lidl all within 5 minutes of each other and then youve a huge Tesco in Clearwater with a Super Value and Iceland in Finglas village itself. Charlestown Shopping Centre not the best in the world but it is modern and has most things you would need. Theres a new cinema and Leisureplex open there now next to McDonalds and KFC. Access to the m50 is easy and you can be on it in just a few minutes.

I often go to this shopping centre, small but convenient. Not the best area to raise a family though

Idbatterim

I am in the same situation as you. I was looking for a house and I was getting further and further out of Dublin with my search. I just said to myself one night .... Wait?!? Sure I'm single why on the name of God would I want a house miles away from city centre. I'd be worrying about going out, coming home prices of taxis. So my search is now apartments in the City Centre or surrounding areas. So I have it handy to meet up with my friends for a drink and no commute to work. IF I meet someone then I can rent out apartment or sell up and buy house with him.

yeah good idea. I dont know why people move to a massive compromise location, with awful amenities compared to dublin. they then spend a fortune on transport and waste hundreds of hours a year commuting. get somewhere in city centre ideally where you can walk or cycle to and from work and dont need taxis for nights out, will save a fortune and you have a far better quality of life, in somewhere you actually want to live!

for those who want to buy etc, but are still youngish and single, best get somewhere on nightlink and with good links to dublin, some of the northern suburbs or coastal towns, with buses that use the port tunnel, could be a good shout...

09_09_09

Speaking of commuter town, do you guys believe the below house is worth the asking price?

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/75-fancourt-heights-balbriggan-county-dublin/3574576

Thanks.

If I should not post it here then Mods please accept my sincere apologies.

pilly

How about Citywest, direct access to the Luas, nice shopping centre. Everything you need really. Not ideal to get to North Dublin unless you're driving but very handy for city centre. You can rely on the Luas to take the exact same amount of time every day.

pilly

deepsea123 wrote: »

What is Santry like to live in? Are there good amenities?

Northwood in Santry is more of an industrial park to me, lots of offices there, I'd imagine it's very quiet at night. Not much of a centre to it really. You'd have to be driving to go anywhere decent on a night out. Also it's just on the doorstep of Ballymun so don't be fooled by it being called Santry.

pilly

09_09_09 wrote: »

Speaking of commuter town, do you guys believe the below house is worth the asking price?

https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/75-fancourt-heights-balbriggan-county-dublin/3574576

Thanks.

If I should not post it here then Mods please accept my sincere apologies.

Depends, if you have a family I'd say it's worth the price, if you haven't I'd imagine there's a lot of maintenance to be done on it for a single person or young couple.

thebeerbaron

pilly wrote: »

How about Citywest, direct access to the Luas, nice shopping centre. Everything you need really. Not ideal to get to North Dublin unless you're driving but very handy for city centre. You can rely on the Luas to take the exact same amount of time every day.

I work in citiwest. While it has the luas, a small shopping center, lidl there is no other amenities, no pub, no sports facilities etc. Most of that is in tallaght. I'd say also that its very quiet in the weekend.

pilly

thebeerbaron wrote: »

I work in citiwest. While it has the luas, a small shopping center, lidl there is no other amenities, no pub, no sports facilities etc. Most of that is in tallaght. I'd say also that its very quiet in the weekend.

Probably, there is a gym though, at least one in the hotel and I think there's another one somewhere. But yes, not buzzing nightlife wise but Tallaght isn't that far away from it.

09_09_09

pilly wrote: »

Depends, if you have a family I'd say it's worth the price, if you haven't I'd imagine there's a lot of maintenance to be done on it for a single person or young couple.

It's just me (early 30s) and my wife (late 20s) at the moment. It's so difficult to find a decent house in our budget (€230,000-235,000).

handlemaster

pilly wrote: »

How about Citywest, direct access to the Luas, nice shopping centre. Everything you need really. Not ideal to get to North Dublin unless you're driving but very handy for city centre. You can rely on the Luas to take the exact same amount of time every day.

The problem there is the locals that use the luas from tallaght. The ones that choose not to work that is

jd

pilly wrote: »

Northwood in Santry is more of an industrial park to me, lots of offices there, I'd imagine it's very quiet at night. Not much of a centre to it really. You'd have to be driving to go anywhere decent on a night out. Also it's just on the doorstep of Ballymun so don't be fooled by it being called Santry.

The Ballymun side by Gullivers Retail may feel a bit like that, but the Santry side close to the Crowne Plaza certainly doesn't (Parklands, Temple Court/Gardens/Lawns).
Santry Court was in Santry Park, before it was demolished, adjacent to Northwood.

http://www.santrycommunitygarden.ie/history-of-the-garden-and-santry-demesne.html

If you are looking for night clubs, yeah, you won't find them in Northwood.

WoollyRedHat

Would the likes of bluebell/ Ballyfermot be a viable option? In same situation.. Single in mid 20s but want to be near town.. Not reliant on a car.

pilly

handlemaster wrote: »

The problem there is the locals that use the luas from tallaght. The ones that choose not to work that is

Never cause any bother to me, once you look like you know where you're going and have your "don't mess with me face" on, they won't bother you. It's just like public transport in any major city, you just have to have a hard neck and not be a wimp about it.

handlemaster

pilly wrote: »

Never cause any bother to me, once you look like you know where you're going and have your "don't mess with me face" on, they won't bother you. It's just like public transport in any major city, you just have to have a hard neck and not be a wimp about it.

It was only a few days ago ..a guy minding his own business was attacked and kicked in the face in tallaght

deepsea123

deepsea123 wrote: »

..............

Most likely to change jobs soon (as soon as I've purchased something), so ideally want to keep my commute options as open as possible. So would be good if wherever I buy I could get to business parks in North or west Dublin or the city centre ...........

I would wait until you move jobs.

I know several people who live in Sallins, Naas & Clane who cummute to city centre using the Sallins train. It's not too bad an option but once you need to consider commuting to various business parks you are complicating location choice greatly.

pilly wrote: »

Never cause any bother to me, once you look like you know where you're going and have your "don't mess with me face" on, they won't bother you. It's just like public transport in any major city, you just have to have a hard neck and not be a wimp about it.

At least half of "respectable" folk can't pull that off, to be fair.