Is Maynooth a good place to buy a house?

jake_ryan_1986 · 22-02-2021 7:39pm #1

I'm currently planning to buy a house in Maynooth with my wife. I really want to live in a nice place with little to no anti social behaviour. What's Maynooth like to live in? Is it safe? Is it a good place to raise a family?

Tokyo · 23-02-2021 5:24am

Admin: Moved to the Kildare forum.

Buddy Bubs · 23-02-2021 6:18am

Lovely town. I live in a nearby town but go to maynooth quite a lot over the years. Has everything you want really and also close to other big towns for more choice. Easy access to dublin city and liffey valley/blanch shopping centre's within 20 min drive too.
I went to university there. Great pubs and restaurants. Plenty of nice routes to take a walk. 2 shopping centre's. A dunnes and a Tesco along with plenty of other outlets.
Bad points...traffic on main Street and from n4 can be bad. Few different ways into the town though so you can sometimes avoid it.
Lots of students and some estates have a high proportion of houses rented to them. This can sometimes lead to a bit of anti social behaviour by a minority usually those moved out of home for first time and with this great big social life available to them. Not too much crime or anything, just general messing and drinking.
Maynooth is great overall, just choose your estate wisely. Which areas do you have in mind?

Moonbeam · 28-02-2021 9:22am

We lived in Maynooth for 10 years, it is an amazing and safe place to live with good local amenities. There are 5 primary schools and 3 secondary schools so school places are not as big an issue as they were.
We never had an issue with students but had 0 on our road but I would not buy in a mostly student estate.
We moved there not really knowing the town with 1 kid and left with 4,I also gave up full time work so was at home for 6 years there and there are so many beautiful places to walk and a nice library.

Goose76 · 04-03-2021 10:42am

lovely town but traffic is almost always chaotic. driving from one side of the town to the other for e.g: grocery shopping is usually a nightmare.

0gac3yjefb5sv7 · 04-03-2021 8:04pm

Hi guys,

Has anyone any experience of what the commute is like via train/bus preCoVid or when things go back to normal. Looking to buy but it's the only thing putting me off it slightly is the min hour long commute door to door, hopefully not 5 days a week.

Thanks

L1011 · 04-03-2021 8:11pm

Commute to where in the city? Heading further away can be 90mins; working *very* near Connolly you can get the 8:10 train and probably be in for 9.

You'll get a seat on the buses and the non-Intercity trains, inbound. You may not outbound.

0gac3yjefb5sv7 · 04-03-2021 8:35pm

L1011 wrote: »

Commute to where in the city? Heading further away can be 90mins; working *very* near Connolly you can get the 8:10 train and probably be in for 9.

You'll get a seat on the buses and the non-Intercity trains, inbound. You may not outbound.

It could be anywhere in the city but it won't be far out like Sandyford. How do you find it?

L1011 · 04-03-2021 8:44pm

Just as well, as I wouldn't commute to Sandyford from Maynooth! Two hours each way on public transit (train to Broombridge, Luas to Sandyford), possibly standing the entire way back (or until Clonsilla at least). Hideous drive.

Anywhere near to the train stations or the Green Luas line (swap at Broombridge) is fine, you may still be standing the entire way back though.

Bus is not great except if specifically working somewhere like the Heuston area where it would generally still be faster than doubling back by Luas from Connolly. Our buses are Phase 2 for BusConnects so should get 5-10 minutes quicker in too (by skipping Chapelizod and staying on a road where they can do their speed limit with far less stops) by Summer maybe.

If you're in the south city centre, remember that Tara and Pearse have multiple entrances that can be massively closer.

0gac3yjefb5sv7 · 04-03-2021 8:48pm

L1011 wrote: »

Just as well, as I wouldn't commute to Sandyford from Maynooth! Two hours each way on public transit (train to Broombridge, Luas to Sandyford), possibly standing the entire way back (or until Clonsilla at least). Hideous drive.

Anywhere near to the train stations or the Green Luas line (swap at Broombridge) is fine, you may still be standing the entire way back though.

Bus is not great except if specifically working somewhere like the Heuston area where it would generally still be faster than doubling back by Luas from Connolly. Our buses are Phase 2 for BusConnects so should get 5-10 minutes quicker in too (by skipping Chapelizod and staying on a road where they can do their speed limit with far less stops) by Summer maybe.

If you're in the south city centre, remember that Tara and Pearse have multiple entrances that can be massively closer.

Oh me neither! I won't be driving anywhere so will be using the public transport from Maynooth.

My commute could be to Grand Canal or Harcourt street but hoping it's just 2 days a week. Is the bus connects coming next summer? Would that mean 30 mins from town to Maynooth if it cuts 10 mins off?

Have you done the commute much? Any thoughts on it overall as it's the final thing niggling at me but I've been looking for 2+ years.

L1011 · 04-03-2021 9:05pm

For Grand Canal, get a DART south, sorted. No real problems.

For Harcourt Street, its 50/50 between going to Broombridge and getting a fairly slow Luas, or going to Pearse and walking over depending on how fast you walk

I've worked in or near the city centre for 8 years. If you cut to the latest possible bus or train in the morning expect it to go wrong at least one time in ten. That's probably the biggest issue.

BusConnects should be June-ish but its all been slightly delayed already due to COVID. The end to end runtime on the 66 now is given as 49 minutes, and its often longer. 40 after BusConnects is more likely, but 30 won't happen. The fastest trains take 28, for example.

Train services were crowded pre-COVID but there are some more train carriages on order as well as a huge upgrade in planning/order preperation. They are not crowded now.

0gac3yjefb5sv7 · 04-03-2021 9:15pm

L1011 wrote: »

For Grand Canal, get a DART south, sorted. No real problems.

For Harcourt Street, its 50/50 between going to Broombridge and getting a fairly slow Luas, or going to Pearse and walking over depending on how fast you walk

I've worked in or near the city centre for 8 years. If you cut to the latest possible bus or train in the morning expect it to go wrong at least one time in ten. That's probably the biggest issue.

BusConnects should be June-ish but its all been slightly delayed already due to COVID. The end to end runtime on the 66 now is given as 49 minutes, and its often longer. 40 after BusConnects is more likely, but 30 won't happen. The fastest trains take 28, for example.

Train services were crowded pre-COVID but there are some more train carriages on order as well as a huge upgrade in planning/order preperation. They are not crowded now.

Thanks for this! Do you mind commuting or find it ok?

Is there also a 66X in the morning too? And do you think the order for more will go ahead or get stuck in planning for years like most government projects! Sorry for all the questions.

L1011 · 04-03-2021 9:17pm

I prefer commuting to driving - I'd prefer to work within walking/cycling distance (I nearly said skateboard distance but I think I'd get laughed at this days) but I absolutely despise driving in rush hour traffic. If I had significantly more cash I'd probably move three or four train stops closer though.

There is a 66X and 67X, I keep forgetting those exist. BusConnects will make all the normal buses take much of their routing so they will be mostly going away with just a few replacement services.

There will inevitably be some delays to DART+, but due to the potential benefits (changing diesel trains to electricity for emissions, getting people out of cars, allowing more development around Clonsilla etc etc etc) its extremely unlikely to get cancelled.

0gac3yjefb5sv7 · 04-03-2021 9:30pm

L1011 wrote: »

I prefer commuting to driving - I'd prefer to work within walking/cycling distance (I nearly said skateboard distance but I think I'd get laughed at this days) but I absolutely despise driving in rush hour traffic. If I had significantly more cash I'd probably move three or four train stops closer though.

There is a 66X and 67X, I keep forgetting those exist. BusConnects will make all the normal buses take much of their routing so they will be mostly going away with just a few replacement services.

There will inevitably be some delays to DART+, but due to the potential benefits (changing diesel trains to electricity for emissions, getting people out of cars, allowing more development around Clonsilla etc etc etc) its extremely unlikely to get cancelled.

Skateboarding distance would be ideal

I wonder if the bus connects and X services would mean a 30 mins bus service as well.

The only thing about the Dart+ project is that wouldn't it be the same length of time to commute as the current trains, with the main difference being no need to change trains if going to say Skerries for example or Bray.

L1011 · 04-03-2021 9:38pm

30min bus service would not be possible with city buses that have a 65km/h limit - it'd be 24 minutes to O'Connell Bridge flat out, completely ignoring the 50 and 30 limits in the city centre and any stops. It MIGHT be doable with a seatbelted, no standing bus.

DART+ should be slightly faster, as electric trains have significantly better acceleration and braking performance than diesel trains and the Maynooth line is very twisty with speed changes; although the two extra stations (Pelletstown under construction and Glasnevin to come) would negate some of that. You would still need to change trains to go North of Connolly.

0gac3yjefb5sv7 · 04-03-2021 9:52pm

L1011 wrote: »

30min bus service would not be possible with city buses that have a 65km/h limit - it'd be 24 minutes to O'Connell Bridge flat out, completely ignoring the 50 and 30 limits in the city centre and any stops. It MIGHT be doable with a seatbelted, no standing bus.

DART+ should be slightly faster, as electric trains have significantly better acceleration and braking performance than diesel trains and the Maynooth line is very twisty with speed changes; although the two extra stations (Pelletstown under construction and Glasnevin to come) would negate some of that. You would still need to change trains to go North of Connolly.

Thanks for all this! Overall it sounds promising and great place to live.

marieholmfan · 04-03-2021 9:58pm

jake_ryan_1986 wrote: »

I'm currently planning to buy a house in Maynooth with my wife. I really want to live in a nice place with little to no anti social behaviour. What's Maynooth like to live in? Is it safe? Is it a good place to raise a family?

It is reasonably safe in places. Though there is crime (not like Dublin though the quantity of crime in Maynooth is so much less that it will improve your mental health) and apparently there is a thriving drugs scene. There is a great deal of petty anti social behaviour but very little violence and none of the random violence that apparently blights some nearby towns. Think mess and noise and urine in the streets rather than burning cars and bleeding bodies.
It doesn't actually work as a dormitory suburb because it is too far away.

I mean it isn't a hellhole like Dublin and if you play some sort of sport or go to the pub alot it is easy to get to know people.

MarchDell · 10-03-2021 12:29pm

Hi All, we're also looking at Maynooth. All seems really positive as a place to live and commute from. The hardest thing we've encountered is knowing which estates are the ones that have a high student population. Its hard to tell also at the minute with Covid and alot of people are attending virtual classes.

dublin49 · 10-03-2021 12:39pm

I am originally a South sider and moved Northside 30 years ago,my God why would you put that commute on yourself when there are great places to live 15 mins from Town,Killester ,Beaumont,Drumcondra,Glasnevin and what a resource the Clontarf Bay area is.Each to his own but the places I mentioned are really great for families and so close to everything.There are rough areas on the the Northside and they get bad press but generally I love it especially being near the coast is such a blessing.

0gac3yjefb5sv7 · 10-03-2021 12:41pm

dublin49 wrote: »

I am originally a South sider and moved Northside 30 years ago,my God why would you put that commute on yourself when there are great places to live 15 mins from Town,Killester ,Beaumont,Drumcondra,Glasnevin and what a resource the Clontarf Bay area is.Each to his own but the places I mentioned are really great for families and so close to everything.There are rough areas on the the Northside and they get bad press but generally I love it especially being near the coast is such as blessing.

Have you checked the price of houses in those areas? Also there will be far more working from home less commuting

dublin49 · 10-03-2021 12:49pm

MattS1 wrote: »

Have you checked the price of houses in those areas? Also there will be far more working from home less commuting

My son is currently buying so watching prices,400k will get you a decent house and 500k will get you into really nice area,have a look at Charlemont in Marino,
thats a lovely estate ,the older houses in Marino are also worth looking at as the estate is really laid out well around parks.Commuting may get to you over time and just offering a different view.

L1011 · 10-03-2021 12:53pm

Maynooth prices are 100-150k lower than that.

Student population is falling over time as more on-campus or campus-adjacent accom is built and landlords sell out; but the main concentration would be Kingsbry, Beaufield/Meadowbrook and Cluain Aoibhinn/College Green. Any pre-mid-90s estate will have more than later one, in general.

0gac3yjefb5sv7 · 10-03-2021 12:54pm

dublin49 wrote: »

My son is currently buying so watching prices,400k will get you a decent house and 500k will get you into really nice area,have a look at Charlemont in Marino,
thats a lovely estate ,the older houses in Marino are also worth looking at as the estate is really laid out well around parks.Commuting may get to you over time and just offering a different view.

400k will get you a house that probably needs another 50k over time. Really depends on your needs and budget. I'd imagine most looking at Maynooth are about 50/100k off those areas. You'd get the house but it would be in bad shape and may need and extension and definitely insulation works.

I do agree that those are fantastic areas though. Wherever you buy doesn't have to be forever once you aren't looking to make a profit on it in 1/2 years.

dublin49 · 10-03-2021 1:00pm

MattS1 wrote: »

400k will get you a house that probably needs another 50k over time. Really depends on your needs and budget. I'd imagine most looking at Maynooth are about 50/100k off those areas. You'd get the house but it would be in bad shape and may need and extension and definitely insulation works.

I do agree that those are fantastic areas though. Wherever you buy doesn't have to be forever once you aren't looking to make a profit on it in 1/2 years.

One thing to factor in when looking at finances as in Marino ,Killester especially you would easily manage running one car instead of two.You would probably manage without a car but thats a stretch.Money is so cheap now I would stretch as far as possible and definitely take a gonker in a better area and do it up at your leisure.

0gac3yjefb5sv7 · 10-03-2021 1:10pm

dublin49 wrote: »

One thing to factor in when looking at finances as in Marino ,Killester especially you would easily manage running one car instead of two.You would probably manage without a car but thats a stretch.Money is so cheap now I would stretch as far as possible and definitely take a gonker in a better area and do it up at your leisure.

I'd imagine as WFH becomes more regular all the time, people want more space and are happy to commute 1/2 days a week. Also you have to factor living in and E or rated poorly designed house until your funds allow. That could be 5/10 years and a lot of work. That's just my view on it anyway having looked at at least 100 properties in those areas vs recently changing for Maynooth.

TheBigGreen · 10-03-2021 1:13pm

Bradys for a pint....ooooh baby!

Eldudeson · 10-03-2021 1:29pm

TheBigGreen wrote: »

Bradys for a pint....ooooh baby!

That's where my last pint was. It was beautiful!!!

Busi_Girl08 · 21-04-2021 2:03pm

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I'm looking at houses in the Brookfield area, and there's a stream running through it. I read a few reports from a few years back about flooding risks and issues, but have these since been resolved? Just thinking ahead to flooding risks and insurance.

L1011 · 21-04-2021 2:49pm

They were resolved many years ago - coming up on on 15 years I'd say - with culverting work, retention tanks etc. However insurance may still be a bit more difficult to obtain, as can mortgages if a provider has outdated flood maps. That it happened in the Internet era has made it be remembered more than something even a few years earlier.

That is one of the reasons why houses there are so incredibly cheap compared to the rest of the town. The very odd/tight layouts some of them (Meadowbrook 4 beds for instance) are the other main one!

Get insurance quotes first, basically.

YellowLead · 21-04-2021 2:51pm

It’s kind of student ville territory too. So could be noisy at night. I live in straffan grove and can hear the noises coming from students walking drunk late at night around the area (albeit not recently due to covid)

Not in Kansas · 21-04-2021 3:05pm

dublin49 wrote: »

I am originally a South sider and moved Northside 30 years ago,my God why would you put that commute on yourself when there are great places to live 15 mins from Town,Killester ,Beaumont,Drumcondra,Glasnevin and what a resource the Clontarf Bay area is.Each to his own but the places I mentioned are really great for families and so close to everything.There are rough areas on the the Northside and they get bad press but generally I love it especially being near the coast is such a blessing.

I hear what you are saying, but there is more to life than Dublin, and I am from Dublin6W, then rented in the city and Sandymount for years, bought in Bray and eventually moved to Sallins.

We are near things too...just different things, and it's fabulous for families! When you say 'close to everything', what is 'everything', because you are not close to the things we are close to.

Dublin is a very short train ride away. We've canal walks, a greenway coming, geat pubs and restaurants, great community spirit. I won't bore you as you have your list of fantastc amenities also...it's not a competition!

I'm delighted that you love where you live, but so do we, and at roughly 100k cheaper!

For what it's worth, tell your son to hold off buying. Have a listen to David McWilliams on this topic. A buyers strike is needed. There should be much better supply in coming months.

vapor trails · 23-04-2021 11:32am

Some party must have been taking place on the pitch beside the playground because the place is an absolute tip this morning with empty cans, bottles & boxes of drink everywhere

L1011 · 23-04-2021 12:26pm

Just going to be a buildup from multiple people. Sunny day, no pubs, wildly insufficient bins (bringing your rubbish home has gone out of fashion it seems) - and also the Tidy Towns are on a litter collecting strike to make KCC realise how much they actually do!

The weekend will be worse.

Sean Seoighe · 07-05-2021 8:28pm

Any thoughts on Beaufield for house to buy to raise a family?

Sean Seoighe · 09-05-2021 9:27am

The Joycer wrote: »

Any thoughts on Beaufield for house to buy to raise a family?

Also same for Griffin Rath Hall. I'd prefer somewhere closer to train station and village like Parklands and Rockfield but nothing available at the moment. Guess GRH has benefit of skipping out on traffic if going to Dublin though.

YellowLead · 09-05-2021 9:32am

The Joycer wrote: »

Any thoughts on Beaufield for house to buy to raise a family?

It’s a nice spot but you’d want to find out if it is one of those student estates - just for night time noise purposes. Some Maynooth estates have hardly and students some are pure student so it’s important to find out.

Sean Seoighe · 09-05-2021 4:28pm

YellowLead wrote: »

It’s a nice spot but you’d want to find out if it is one of those student estates - just for night time noise purposes. Some Maynooth estates have hardly and students some are pure student so it’s important to find out.

Cheers! Just out of interest for whenever a property comes up that we're interested in, aside from posting here how else would you go about finding this out? I guess I could drive around there at different times of day and see who's about but welcome any other suggestions!

L1011 · 09-05-2021 4:42pm

Beaufield would have quite a few students. You can't really tell by looking at a place though.

Estates with a higher % of registered tenancies would often mean more students but obviously not only students rent.

https://www.rtb.ie/check/index.html

The number of student rentals is slowly falling as they get priced out.

Buddy Bubs · 09-05-2021 5:27pm

The Joycer wrote: »

Cheers! Just out of interest for whenever a property comes up that we're interested in, aside from posting here how else would you go about finding this out? I guess I could drive around there at different times of day and see who's about but welcome any other suggestions!

You won't tell from driving around at the moment anyway. Maybe not until october time at the earliest.

Sean Seoighe · 09-05-2021 7:33pm

Thank you both ðŸ‘ðŸ‘

Sean Seoighe · 04-06-2021 7:27pm

Any thoughts on Newton Road? Seems great location in proximity to village and train but is neighbour nice area and suitable for young family

L1011 · 04-06-2021 7:32pm

Most of the individual houses are long established old Maynoothians and the estates closer to the town on it are also fairly old and not known to have problems really. Getting anywhere from that side of the town is never fun, but neither is Moyglare etc.

Sean Seoighe · 04-06-2021 8:56pm

L1011 wrote: »

Most of the individual houses are long established old Maynoothians and the estates closer to the town on it are also fairly old and not known to have problems really. Getting anywhere from that side of the town is never fun, but neither is Moyglare etc.

Yep I'd imagine getting to Tesco for example could be delays but flip side is coming off N4 you'd get there quick enough as you turn off main through road to Maynooth very early. Thanks for the feedback too

lordgoat · 05-06-2021 9:38am

The Joycer wrote: »

Any thoughts on Newton Road? Seems great location in proximity to village and train but is neighbour nice area and suitable for young family

For me and not just as I live this side, it's got the most plusses for me. Well established estates, most estates have good sized houses and gardens (main reason for ending up here)

But then you realise that the traffic on this side is far easier. No traffic lights other than straffan road and then at the Roost.

No plans to develop this side of the town as yet either, zoned for agricultural, but eventually there are fields this side of the flyover that will have houses on them I'd guess.

The Joycer wrote: »

Yep I'd imagine getting to Tesco for example could be delays but flip side is coming off N4 you'd get there quick enough as you turn off main through road to Maynooth very early. Thanks for the feedback too

Tesco is grand if you can time your shop. Sat morning, Tesco, green grocer and the Elite home before 9:30, no traffic.

Sean Seoighe · 05-06-2021 10:03am

lordgoat wrote: »

For me and not just as I live this side, it's got the most plusses for me. Well established estates, most estates have good sized houses and gardens (main reason for ending up here)

But then you realise that the traffic on this side is far easier. No traffic lights other than straffan road and then at the Roost.

No plans to develop this side of the town as yet either, zoned for agricultural, but eventually there are fields this side of the flyover that will have houses on them I'd guess.

Tesco is grand if you can time your shop. Sat morning, Tesco, green grocer and the Elite home before 9:30, no traffic.

Thanks so much - great to hear

Staplor · 05-06-2021 8:56pm

I'm out the Newtown road, traffic can back up going to the main Street, but it's predictable, and there's alternative routes that really help

rustygb · 16-12-2021 9:57pm

How about Hayfield, Straffan Rd opposite LIDL? Is it safe for families? does it have students renting homes in here too and anti-social behaviour?

L1011 · 20-12-2021 8:59pm

I don't think there's any student houses there. There's actually not many left anywhere even in the estates that were riddled with them - they can't afford the prices these days. I'm not sure there's even any in Straffan Wood behind it.

The main footpath for that side of the Straffan Road passes through the estate. This may bring some more noise but also brings passive surveillance - for instance living on a (different) road with decent passing traffic of pedestrians meant that a UPS delivery that arrived early when I was on holiday was safe on my doorstep for a full day and a half; it would likely have been swiped somewhere more sheltered!