Would you buy a house near a halting site?

terrydel · 22-09-2019 2:05pm

Sultan of Bling wrote: »

I wouldnt have a problem living close to a halting site if i knew when i contacted police, instant action would be taken if my property was being vandalised or stolen by travellers.

Of course that will never happen if the ordinary man or woman call to report it.

Now if the police get a call from Michael D Higgins, president of Ireland, I have a feeling the police response time will be quicker.

Very easy to say you'll have no problem living next to a halting site when you have armed guards protecting it for you.

Yep, understand that sentiment. Like I said, I lived between two traveller families for 7 years and the only issue was a car parked outside my house, taking up a spot visitors often parked in. After 2 days I called the police and they didnt want to know, so I told them that we all know who owns the car and if it wasnt one of them you'd have it moved pronto, you just arent keen to have to deal with them. An hour later they knocked on my door, I basically repeated those words, and the car was gone soon after. Lesson here is if the garda wont deal with something, travellers or otherwise, pressure them into doing so and dont take no for an answer.

goat2 · 22-09-2019 2:09pm

Since the term travellers, they don't stay put for too long, and it would be according to whether they are just going about their own business and not interested in my business, there are terrible individuals in both the settled and unsettled communities, it would be down to the individual, if they liked a peaceful safe life like me, or if there is a history of trouble in the area

ShooterSF · 22-09-2019 2:22pm

oceanman wrote: »

travellers don't want to be full members of society though, that why they choose to be travellers.

I wouldn't be a fan by any means but what choice do they really have when it's all they know growing up and are often allowed to neglect their education and/or drop out of school completely at the first opportunity.

That said, on topic, I wouldn't.

Calypso Realm · 22-09-2019 2:38pm

No. No apologies either!

Ursus Horribilis · 22-09-2019 2:52pm

I wouldn't set up a business near one either.

Ray Palmer · 22-09-2019 3:01pm

The same reason I wouldn't live beside a builder's yard or petrol station. The noise and mess from any business would put me off. There was a guy dealing in cars on the road for a long time but a bit away. Somebody new moved close to them and just reported any cars without tax and insurance on the road. Made the car dealer a lot cleaner and careful. I doubt that other people would be as careful after complaints

AulWan · 22-09-2019 3:30pm

I grew up living close to a halting site for nearly 15 years and personally did not experience any problems with the families that lived there. For reference, it was on Brookfield Road in Tallaght. I think its gone now.

The traveller families that lived there were the best at policing any other travellers that come into the area. They were fully integrated into the nearby schools and community and did not want any trouble from other travellers falling back on them. When another halting site was proposed very close by, they were the main objectors and stopped it from going ahead.

I bought my house a long time ago and it genuinely did not occur to me to consider halting sites nearby when I was buying. And after the last thread on social housing, thats all I'm going to say on the matter.

JizzBeans · 22-09-2019 5:35pm

I frequently hear that estate agents find it difficult to sell houses close to halting site, within a 1-2km that is. Re sale value is non virtually existent. If something better comes along after say five years, one should expect to loose money I suppose

Graham · 22-09-2019 6:47pm

That's an odd subject for estate agents to bring up with/around you in such frequency.

Ursus Horribilis · 22-09-2019 7:07pm

Maybe losing money is different to loosing money?

fg1406 · 22-09-2019 7:19pm

Not a hope. I rented near one a few years ago. There are new houses being built near it now. Council houses at that. The travellers from the halting site have burnt out the houses that are being built. They’ve had their horses seized and caused a 2 day riot. Their kids are feral too.

Corruptedmorals · 22-09-2019 7:42pm

I wouldn't, I'd find it very intimidating even if they largely kept themselves to themselves.

One of the newer estates in Maynooth, Carton Wood I think, when it was being advertised with a stylised map they stuck the logo over the halting site across the road from the estate. Very unfair thing to do although it does appear to be fairly quiet and it's not immediately obvious when driving by.

MSVforever · 22-09-2019 7:46pm

Nope. It's enough to see when passing by one of their sites. No regard for their own environment.

Heres Johnny · 22-09-2019 7:49pm

Thread doesn't need a poll

katiek102010 · 23-09-2019 3:28am

Tbh it wouldn't bother me. Lived about 200 yards from one in UK and had 2 lots of travellers living 6 and 8 doors up from me.

No one came near the estate. Honestly I think if anyone tried they would have got a hiding. The travellers knew they would get blamed

joeguevara · 23-09-2019 3:45am

Question is a bit vague..

Firstly how near are we taking about? Directly opposite or half a mile away?

Also is it an illegal site with burned out cars, sulky racing or a well kept group of chalets.

Are you considering it or is it a hypothetical? If the latter why care? If the former then go with your gut.

freshpopcorn · 23-09-2019 3:49am

Question is kind of hard to answer.
It would depend on how near!
Take for instance in most regional towns in my experience you are only a few minutes away from one really.
Also, what do you consider a halting site. A traditional one with lots of Caravans or where travellers are housed sometimes very closely together.

Anjunadeep · 23-09-2019 8:16am

If by near you mean like 10 miles away, I would consider it assuming of course the house was given to me for free and surrounded by a moat

FrankPoll. · 23-09-2019 8:22am

Anjunadeep wrote: »

If by near you mean like 10 miles away, I would consider it assuming of course the house was given to me for free and surrounded by a moat

I'm sure they'd tolerate you living closer

You can't be that bad

Shefwedfan · 23-09-2019 8:27am

Anjunadeep wrote: »

If by near you mean like 10 miles away, I would consider it assuming of course the house was given to me for free and surrounded by a moat

Why are they afraid of water?

pol12 · 23-09-2019 10:00am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Travellers used to work for farmers and make items out of tin for sale, hence the term "tinker", which wasn't a pejorative term originally. Back in the day and were a respected part of rural Ireland. Then the dole came in and they went from being valued to valueless with nothing to. Do except sit round, drink, make babies and get up to no good.

Some sort of education or work for long term welfare would be a much better alternative for travellers, or indeed all long term unemployed. Coupled with actual law enforcement.

We also need to give decent travellers a chance at employment and being full members of society.

If everyone followed the traveller principles it would make our life's easier.
Most of the population in Ireland are originally from a farming background, maybe some would have to go back a few generations but that's where our culture mostly lies. So farming doesn't support multiple people but let's all sit around the farm all day and get the government to pay for our culture.

starbaby2003 · 23-09-2019 11:38am

JizzBeans wrote: »

I frequently hear that estate agents find it difficult to sell houses close to halting site, within a 1-2km that is. Re sale value is non virtually existent. If something better comes along after say five years, one should expect to loose money I suppose

I call bull**** on that. Probe Square houses are selling for close to a million. St Louises Park Blackrock is about 400m from it.

REFLINE1 · 23-09-2019 2:16pm

hasnt stopped new estates in carrickmines and rathfarnham selling recently

MichaelR · 23-09-2019 2:29pm

I live across a hurling field from an estate that has many settled Traveller families.

Their reputation is very much not great but so far (4 years) we only had a few problems with the kids, even those seem to have stopped. (Worst was a money theft but we let the kid in; also a small kids bike was stolen, it was unlocked at the front of the house, and the reason we treated it so carelessly is that it was not worth much anymore). There was some unpleasant stuff about their kids and mine, nothing huge and now they just seem to ignore each other. (Caveat: my kids don't go to the local school, for reasons unrelated, as they were already settled in a school before we moved here. I hear bad rumours about some behaviour in the local school).

Never had any grief from the adults so far, and we're even immigrants (though white). I hear one of them might have a gun, but as it was never pulled in my presence, I would not know.

Then again I have not seen any fancy new cars etc around their estate, so maybe they're just not "that kind". There were horses on a grass field all right. Lovely horses, I really enjoyed the sight. The people also used to ride around in carts and sulkies, but seemed, as far as I could see, to treat the horses fairly. The horses disappeared one day, then a few months later a building site came up - so I guess they were tipped off about the building plans.

I do know some others do not treat horses well. I saw a group of kids in Limerick City ride a pony cart on the road and they were harsh to the pony and made it gallop. Poor pony, and they were risking their own lives too with a semi-uncontrollable cart on the road with cars, not to mention breaking the law (you have to be 16 to control a horse on the road unaccompanied).

Grolschevik · 23-09-2019 2:37pm

I grew up (ten plus years) near a site, maybe 300 yards away. Backed onto a field that their site (mobiles and chalets) was in the corner of. No crime or antisocial behaviour to speak of, and any that there was could not be unequivocally attributed to the Travellers rather than one of the estates nearby. South county Dublin.

Markcheese · 23-09-2019 2:49pm

I suppose its like anything else, would you buy next to a dodgy estate, or would you buy a house next to dodgy neighbours? In an estate or stand alone / rural?
I know of people who really don't get on with their neighbouring farmers...
If there's a halting site next to where you're looking to buy, and you barely notice it, then it's probably not causing a problem...

AndrewJRenko · 23-09-2019 5:10pm

I've lived less than a kilometre by road from a small halting site in south Dublin, less than 500m as the crow flies, for more than twenty years. I'd regularly pass within 100m of the site entrance. I've noticed one incident of mild anti-social behaviour by teenagers who appeared to be travellers in that time. I've heard some of the neighbours to the site had issues with littering. It doesn't seem to have any effect of the boomy house/apartment prices in the area.

Eric Cartman · 23-09-2019 7:23pm

2km from one minimum. It or a council estate nearby would be the biggest things to avoid.

starbaby2003 · 23-09-2019 7:30pm

Eric Cartman wrote: »

2km from one minimum. It or a council estate nearby would be the biggest things to avoid.

I see you are never buying a house in Dublin City then ...

Eric Cartman · 23-09-2019 7:32pm

starbaby2003 wrote: »

I see you are never buying a house in Dublin City then ...

yeah, wouldnt be for me, a nice one off in an acre or 3 and nowhere near any of those types.

AndrewJRenko · 23-09-2019 9:09pm

Eric Cartman wrote: »

2km from one minimum. It or a council estate nearby would be the biggest things to avoid.

Yeah, funnily enough, there is a small Council development, maybe 15 houses between me and the halting site - no issues from that either.

the_syco · 24-09-2019 12:21am

starbaby2003 wrote: »

I see you are never buying a house in Dublin City then ...

Preferably, no. And heck, if the travellers take a liking to your land, they'll camp on your land. Not much you can say about it if you don't want your house burnt to the ground.

AndrewJRenko · 24-09-2019 7:06am

the_syco wrote: »

Preferably, no. And heck, if the travellers take a liking to your land, they'll camp on your land. Not much you can say about it if you don't want your house burnt to the ground.

Does that happen much - that travellers burn down people's houses after taking over their land?

Would you buy a house near a halting site?

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