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Buying house in East Wall? Advice?

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  • 21-03-2017 1:38am
    #1
    mayanna
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭


    I'm currently househunting. Looking for a two bed with some sort of backyard. Recently I came across a house on Caledon Road and fell in love with it. I really liked the area and the realtor said its a real community with neighbours looking out for each other which is what im looking for! Currently I'm renting in Ranelagh. Im aware that the areas drastically differ but will never afford to buy here. Anyone I talk to is really against East Wall saying its really rough and dangerous. Im female and buying on my own and haven't decided if ill rent the second room. Im not originally from Dublin and feel they're being over dramatic. Is East Wall really that bad?
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    #2
    athtrasna
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,420 ✭✭✭✭athtrasna


    Moved from Accommodation and Property. Dublin city forum charter applies.


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    #3
    Billy Reid
    Registered Users Posts: 90 ✭✭Billy Reid


    It's a good solid working class part of the city.


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    #4
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,156 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    East Wall is fine. Few kids hanging around shops, like you get anywhere.
    These 'East Wall is rough and dangerous' folk - have they ever lived there?

    You will have no bother getting someone to share. Walkable to the IFSC. Great spot - almost as good as North Strand. :)


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    #5
    Alicano
    Registered Users Posts: 441 ✭✭Alicano


    mayanna wrote: »
    I'm currently househunting. Looking for a two bed with some sort of backyard. Recently I came across a house on Caledon Road and fell in love with it. I really liked the area and the realtor said its a real community with neighbours looking out for each other which is what im looking for! Currently I'm renting in Ranelagh. Im aware that the areas drastically differ but will never afford to buy here. Anyone I talk to is really against East Wall saying its really rough and dangerous. Im female and buying on my own and haven't decided if ill rent the second room. Im not originally from Dublin and feel they're being over dramatic. Is East Wall really that bad?

    It is the opposite of what you're being told. Very safe area actually and yes it has a strong neighbourhood quality. You will rent that room no problem. I bought in East wall in 2015. Like you, there are other spots I'd love to be able to afford, but I couldn't find a genuine fault or reason not to buy in EW. I would stress though, that I had no need for huge space, 3 bedrooms, gardens or schools etc. That would turn a lot of buyers off. But as an area. It is safe. Surprisingly quiet. Very well located to city and coast. And since I've purchased there has been a steady stream of 'Sold' signs and renovations going on which is positive. Just to clarify, I am being slightly biased :)
    But I think it is one of the few places in Dublin City still offering relative value for money for those of us earning average industrial wage or below.
    Best of luck with whatever you end up doing.


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    #6
    odyssey06
    Registered Users Posts: 28,557 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    Just dont walk through Fairview Park after dark... probably same goes for most Dublin parks but maybe double for that one.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



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    #7
    tricky D
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,700 ✭✭✭tricky D


    There's a big East Wall thread which is worth reading; http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=205297


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    #8
    Billy Reid
    Registered Users Posts: 90 ✭✭Billy Reid


    You will always be a blow in too!


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    #9
    sheepo
    Registered Users Posts: 66 ✭✭sheepo


    Just to add to this OP, the people telling you East Wall is rough and dangerous don't have a clue what they're talking about.

    I bought here 3 years ago, I'm from "the country", and I absolutely love it. Location can't be beaten, decent facilities in terms of shops etc., that's improving all the time. I find the locals very friendly and welcoming. No one's ever said boo to me or my girlfriend who walks around on her own all the time.

    North docklands is about to explode with development, no better time to buy.


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    #10
    Lady is a tramp
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,208 ✭✭✭Lady is a tramp


    I found it a lovely area to live in, definitely a strong sense of community. I joined the Sheriff St badminton club when I lived there, as well as a WeightWatchers group in East Wall, so I got to know quite a few of the local people. They were extremely friendly and welcoming. I'd quite happily live there again. I lived on East Road, I think that's very close to where you're considering. I used to regularly run/walk from there to Drumcondra and back in the evenings, always felt quite safe even after dark. You're only a couple of minutes away from the Luas Red Line, plenty of buses etc too.


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    #11
    Chuchote
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,368 ✭✭✭Chuchote


    Maybe one thing to consider, though, and that's the level of particulate pollution. This is a trafficky area, and it's low-lying, which means you get pollution clinging to the ground. If you or anyone in your family has asthma, bronchitis, any other respiratory problems or eczema, think carefully.


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    #12
    yosser hughes
    Registered Users Posts: 3,882 ✭✭✭yosser hughes


    Nobody who lives there will tell you the truth.Property values etc.
    My sister lived there for several years and always went on in the same vein as the posters above, talking up the whole community thing and supposed friendliness of the locals.
    Once she sold up and moved on; the truth emerged. She hated living there and could not wait to get out. A lot of anti-social behaviour. A 16 year old boy shot and killed a man 200 yards from Caledon Road a few years ago.
    What do you expect your 'realtor' to tell you?


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    #13
    sheepo
    Registered Users Posts: 66 ✭✭sheepo


    yosser hughes wrote: »
    Nobody who lives there will tell you the truth.Property values etc.
    My sister lived there for several years and always went on in the same vein as the posters above, talking up the whole community thing and supposed friendliness of the locals.
    Once she sold up and moved on; the truth emerged. She hated living there and could not wait to get out. A lot of anti-social behaviour. A 16 year old boy shot and killed a man 200 yards from Caledon Road a few years ago.
    What do you expect your 'realtor' to tell you?

    Nonsense. How well do you know the area or are you just going on your second hand info from your sister. Property prices are going to increase in the area anyway, and there are houses constantly being sold in EW, regardless of what people post here on boards.

    I consulted Boards a lot when I was house hunting and got loads of good info and it's only fair for me to be honest when other people are looking for the same.

    That shooting was in 2008.

    OP, I can only speak for myself to say I have experienced zero ASB since moving to East Wall, unless like some posters, you consider young lads doing wheelies on bicycles to be anti-social.


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    #14
    Chuchote
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,368 ✭✭✭Chuchote


    When Dublin abandons its car-centric culture, East Wall will be a really pleasant place to live. But at the moment, I think, you'd be living in the farty particulates shed by herds of cars as they transit the city.


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    #15
    odyssey06
    Registered Users Posts: 28,557 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    Chuchote wrote: »
    When Dublin abandons its car-centric culture, East Wall will be a really pleasant place to live. But at the moment, I think, you'd be living in the farty particulates shed by herds of cars as they transit the city.

    I think the port tunnel has made a big difference no? At least the trucks aren't going through East Wall any more.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



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    #16
    whiskeyman
    Registered Users Posts: 12,564 ✭✭✭✭whiskeyman


    odyssey06 wrote: »
    I think the port tunnel has made a big difference no? At least the trucks aren't going through East Wall any more.

    Some difference, but the traffic surrounding East Wall has gone crazy over the past year or so and is likely to get worse.

    More and more offices moving in around the area and the road infrastructure can't cope with the volume.


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    #17
    Chuchote
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,368 ✭✭✭Chuchote


    odyssey06 wrote: »
    I think the port tunnel has made a big difference no? At least the trucks aren't going through East Wall any more.

    My throat starts rasping when I enter the area. Far too much traffic - in an area where most workers should be able to cycle to work. A quietway would lessen the pollution and make it a much nicer place to live (apart from the good side effect that cyclists are eyes on the street, all cycleways tend to gentrify neighbourhoods, retailers and cafes do better in cycleway areas, etc).


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    #18
    AnnaSophia
    Registered Users Posts: 174 ✭✭AnnaSophia


    Lived in East Wall since 2012, and the only bit of bother I've had was some kids throwing a water balloon at me as I walked to the bus stop (and that was in 2013!)

    I'd never hesitate to recommend the area to someone, people are friendly and location is fantastic.


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    #19
    VW 1
    Registered Users Posts: 4,493 ✭✭✭VW 1


    My mother's side of the family are from there and living there since the early 60s with the family home still there.

    Very friendly community and a great area. Major shift from the original corporation population that was initially on the east side of church road in recent years to young professionals and families working in East Point and the IFSC.

    If working relatively locally then walking/cycling to work or walking to the luas to get to city centre is great, other than that traffic in and out can be very heavy at peak times.

    I wouldn't hesitate to live there myself.


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    #20
    Esel
    Registered Users Posts: 22,105 ✭✭✭✭Esel


    How much of East Wall is prone to flooding?

    Serious question.

    Not your ornery onager



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    #21
    P_1
    Registered Users Posts: 14,681 ✭✭✭✭P_1


    Esel wrote: »
    How much of East Wall is prone to flooding?

    Serious question.

    Been there two years now, not a sign of any floods. It seems to have been rectified since the last bad one.


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    #22
    sheepo
    Registered Users Posts: 66 ✭✭sheepo


    Esel wrote: »
    How much of East Wall is prone to flooding?

    Serious question.

    DCC undertook major works following the floods in 2002 with the result that there was no flooding in East Wall during the next big flood, can't remember what year that was.

    That said, getting home insurance was a bit more effort than it would have been in other areas because they still have it marked as a flood risk. It wasn't more expensive when I did get it, but a good few companies just turned me down flat.


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    #23
    VW 1
    Registered Users Posts: 4,493 ✭✭✭VW 1


    sheepo wrote:
    DCC undertook major works following the floods in 2002 with the result that there was no flooding in East Wall during the next big flood, can't remember what year that was.


    This isn't true, there was extensive flooding on seaview avenue at least twice since 2002, with residents in some houses being out of their houses for up to 6 weeks.

    Caledon road should be far enough from the tolka to be away from flooding danger.


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    #24
    P_1
    Registered Users Posts: 14,681 ✭✭✭✭P_1


    Chuchote wrote: »
    My throat starts rasping when I enter the area. Far too much traffic - in an area where most workers should be able to cycle to work. A quietway would lessen the pollution and make it a much nicer place to live (apart from the good side effect that cyclists are eyes on the street, all cycleways tend to gentrify neighbourhoods, retailers and cafes do better in cycleway areas, etc).

    Not sure how a quietway would work in East Wall mind. There's only 4 (5 at a push) routes out of it and they're all fairly backed up at rush hour. Besides, bar East Road and East Wall Road the streets are pretty calm.


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    #25
    Chuchote
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,368 ✭✭✭Chuchote


    P_1 wrote: »
    Not sure how a quietway would work in East Wall mind. There's only 4 (5 at a push) routes out of it and they're all fairly backed up at rush hour. Besides, bar East Road and East Wall Road the streets are pretty calm.

    People drive too much. Walk down the road looking into the cars and you'll see that virtually all have just one person inside. And 40% of journeys under 5km in Ireland are made by car - that's a journey that would take 20 minutes to cycle. We're wrecking our health and our cities with laziness.


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    #26
    P_1
    Registered Users Posts: 14,681 ✭✭✭✭P_1


    Chuchote wrote: »
    People drive too much. Walk down the road looking into the cars and you'll see that virtually all have just one person inside. And 40% of journeys under 5km in Ireland are made by car - that's a journey that would take 20 minutes to cycle. We're wrecking our health and our cities with laziness.

    You're preaching to the converted here mind you may be a bit more evangelical than I would be mind ;)


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    #27
    Alicano
    Registered Users Posts: 441 ✭✭Alicano


    Chuchote wrote: »
    My throat starts rasping when I enter the area. Far too much traffic - in an area where most workers should be able to cycle to work. A quietway would lessen the pollution and make it a much nicer place to live (apart from the good side effect that cyclists are eyes on the street, all cycleways tend to gentrify neighbourhoods, retailers and cafes do better in cycleway areas, etc).
    You must start rasping just about everywhere in Dublin so? And what's so different about cyclists eyes on the street as opposed to pedestrian or motorists eyes?


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    #28
    Alicano
    Registered Users Posts: 441 ✭✭Alicano


    Esel wrote: »
    How much of East Wall is prone to flooding?

    Serious question.

    At my time of purchasing (2015), a condition of house insurance was minimum of 200m from the river. It is a flood zone according to the maps. But so are many places. Like another poster mentioned, there was a lot of flood defense works done by DCC after the last bad hit.


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    #29
    Chuchote
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,368 ✭✭✭Chuchote


    Alicano wrote: »
    You must start rasping just about everywhere in Dublin so? And what's so different about cyclists eyes on the street as opposed to pedestrian or motorists eyes?

    What's different is that cyclists look around. Pedestrians do too, but they don't go as far. Drivers tend to look only at the road, which is commendable when you're in charge of two tons of dangerous machinery. Cyclists have to watch the road (potholes) other vehicles (cars, vans, buses, trucks), people (pedestrians who might step suddenly out in front of them); they also do a… sorry, arithmetic isn't my thing, but about 60 degrees out to the left and the same to the right… back-and-forth scan almost unconsciously. And they notice things that jar, because these are things that might become dangerous to them. So, for instance, if they see two teenagers who are looking around rather more beadily than the other drifting pedestrians, they'll notice that. If one of those teenagers shifts a backpack from one shoulder to the other, they'll notice that something inside it clanks.

    For instance, from an English local paper after a cycleway was installed in Horham:
    “This close has had a number
    of burglaries because most people
    go out to work during the day.
    Since the cycle path has been in
    place there are a lot more people
    using the close and this may act as
    a deterrent to burglars    .”
    Mrs Hartigan,
    Freshfield Close, Horham

    Incidentally, if I sound evangelistic it's because I'm asthmatic. Your fumes are going to kill me.


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    #30
    Alicano
    Registered Users Posts: 441 ✭✭Alicano


    Chuchote wrote: »
    What's different is that cyclists look around. Pedestrians do too, but they don't go as far. Drivers tend to look only at the road, which is commendable when you're in charge of two tons of dangerous machinery. Cyclists have to watch the road (potholes) other vehicles (cars, vans, buses, trucks), people (pedestrians who might step suddenly out in front of them); they also do a… sorry, arithmetic isn't my thing, but about 60 degrees out to the left and the same to the right… back-and-forth scan almost unconsciously. And they notice things that jar, because these are things that might become dangerous to them. So, for instance, if they see two teenagers who are looking around rather more beadily than the other drifting pedestrians, they'll notice that. If one of those teenagers shifts a backpack from one shoulder to the other, they'll notice that something inside it clanks.

    For instance, from an English local paper after a cycleway was installed in Horham:



    Incidentally, if I sound evangelistic it's because I'm asthmatic. Your fumes are going to kill me.

    RE: Cyclists looking around. I fully expect they would. But so do motorists. They/we don't fixate straight ahead at the back of the car in front. I too would be observing footpaths and movements behind cars, buses pulled in etc. Like you said it's all very automatic and done without conscious effort. Granted motorists can't hear the little things like cyclists and pedestrians. Personally, I would put motorcyclists at the very top of the awareness tree. They are watching everything. Similar risks associated with the cycling fraternity but at much higher speeds and very little reaction time to those things you mentioned like a ball rolling out or car door opening. I'd like to think we're all acting safely though.

    I don't buy the argument that cycle ways make an area safer. The example you've given is of a two road village in the U.K. Not comparable with a busy place like EW (location in OP question) which has constant footfall. No harm in having extra eyes of course but there's nothing really to support that idea. Regarding safety in EW. I remember doing a lot of stakeout work prior to bidding on the house. Parked up on Friday/Saturday nights with the GF. Got out and walked around lots of the streets for close to an hour.All I got was "Hello's" from locals thinking I was local :) It's no safer or less safe than any other Dublin City location. The potential for risk exists everywhere in my opinion.

    I'm sure you feel pollution a lot more being Asthmatic. And I sympathise with that. Just your original sentence seemed to suggest you were fine cycling around anywhere else apart from EW. I do think Dublin will become very inaccessible to cars. You can see that in the city center already. And I think that will spread outwards. The more the North Docklands develops, the more restrictions will be put in place. And I can (hopefully) see EW becoming a village again with the majority of movement being pedestrian and cyclists.
    Maybe then we will be neighbours :D


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    #31
    mherlihy
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭mherlihy


    Hi there,

    I'm bought a 2 bed terraced house on Caledon Road at the end of 2015. I'm a single female in my early 30s. Prior to moving to East Wall I had always rented on the south side - in Ranelagh & Sandymount respectively.

    I absolutely love living in East Wall & could not recommend it more highly. I'm from down the country originally but have also lived in the UK for almost 10 years for college/work. This northside/southside divide in Dublin is a bit ridiculous I feel. Before I moved to Dublin all I knew of the city was Grafton Street & everyone I spoke to told me to steer clear of the Northside.

    Having now lived in East Wall on my own for almost 18 months I can honestly say that its a great place to live. I work pretty long hours & i walk/cycle home every evening whatever the season & never worry re safety. My neighbours are fantastic (to the point of washing my windows & changing the flat tyre on my car!), there's a real sense of community here and I've not seen one ounce of trouble. The location is so handy & to echo what some other people on here have said, with all the development thats going on nearby & in the area, I feel it is a good investment as well as a home.

    When I started looking for a house, I briedly considered Stoneybatter - until I quickly realised how overpriced it is. East Wall has a lot of housing stock that is very similar to "trendier" areas like Stoneybatter but the prices are still affordable and in a great location - near town, the luas & the port tunnel. I think the more affordable prices are partly due to the fact that a lot of people still turn their noses up at this area - I know a lot of people who wouldnt buy here. I understand that it may not have had a great reputation in the past, but I see no reason why someone would choose not to live here now.

    Best of luck & I look forward to welcoming you to Caledon Road should you take the plunge to buy! 😊


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