House-hunters slept in their cars for days to be eligible to buy a home in a new development in Co Kildare on sale at the weekend.
Dozens of buyers who queued up from last Tuesday were given first refusal on the houses at the Harpur Lane estate in Leixlip, Co Kildare in a development built by Cairn Homes.
There are 31 homes in question ranging from a two-bedroom mid-terrace house costing €460,000 (91.6 sq m) to €525,000 (118.5 sq m) for an end-of-terrace three-bedroom house. The Harpur Lane development began in 2022.
The estate is in the grounds of the Castletown Estate with 119 homes and 73 apartments. All homes have energy-efficient heat pump system, extensive insulation and high-performance windows, giving them a comfortable A2 Ber rating.
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Those who had queued for days had their names and email addresses taken and were told they could go home as they had been placed on the top of the list for housing.
Several others were left disappointed. Only six homes were eligible under the help-to-buy scheme.
Anna from Estonia came on Friday evening at 6pm to secure a house, 14 and a half hours before they were opened to public. She was 48th on the list but ultimately managed to secure a house.
She has three children between ages of 10 and 15. “I’m excited. I have been saving for this for a good number of years. It was worth it.”
Seán and Tatiana were only mortgage-approved on Thursday. They showed up on Saturday morning at 7am to be told they were number 79 on the list. “We might get on the cancellation list, but the vast majority of houses are not on the help-to-buy scheme,” Seán said. The Government are giving first-time buyers up to €30,000 for a deposit.
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“Based on what I have heard today is that sleeping in your cars is a bit unnecessary. It’s about getting here as early as you can and finding an agent and then waiting.
“We arrived at 7am and there were barriers erected. People weren’t being registered until 8.30am this morning. We are going to try and listen out for any notifications that are given to us about new housing and try and be on top of any development when we can.”
Paul Molloy came with the purposes of buying a buy-to-let property. “There is going to be a housing shortage for the next 25 years. I have two young daughters, one 13 and one 9, and I’m concerned about buying an investment property so there is something there for them when they get older.
“There’s an abject failure to sort out the housing crisis and a lack of a political will if you ask me. The problem is that local councillors adopt a Nimby approach and they don’t want development in their own backyard. The objection system is extraordinary. You get local councillors using political influence to stop developments taking place. The only way out of the housing crisis is to build more houses and apartments.”
One Indian man, who was there with his wife, said the rents they pay in Leopardstown would be the equivalent of a mortgage on one of the homes in Harpur Lane. He and his wife are mortgaged approved and they are prepared to make the long commute from Leixlip to Leopardstown to own one of the houses.
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