Evening!
Long time lurker, first time poster.
Going slightly off-topic here but please bear with me.
I’ve been a regular browser of this website pretty much since the split from askaboutmoney. Like many people who view these pages I’ve never felt the need to post a message or even register for that matter. I’ve only had internet access at work and didn’t have the time to respond.
So why now?
A few reasons really;
Primarily to moan about the standard of debate, what little there is. This site used to be thought provoking and insightful but has gone downhill so much. I think the Pin has become a victim of it’s own success (Politics.ie has suffered a similar well documented decline). Also I’m aware of the irony of that sentence so I’ve saved you a riposte. I think everyone is in agreement now - prices are going down so there’s little to debate. My own opinion is that Propertypin has become bloated with 20-somethings who want to get on the property ladder but can’t, so gather here where they congratulate themselves on being so clever for not buying in the first place. OK then, well done. You do realise that many of you are as much a vested interest as any banker, auctioneer, TD and estate agent you so frequently demonise?
The manner in which people who don’t fall in with the Pin mantra are ridiculed is a real shame. My least favourite moniker which is oft repeated here is ‘sheeple’. Basically someone not like you. The level of smugness here is off the chart. Where is the anti-glee policy that used to be enforced?
I also want to critise the frequently erroneous posts which report opinion as fact. Seldom anything that would stand up to any primary school level analysis. Perhaps it the haste at which they are constructed - it may go some way to explaining the high post count of many here. Do any of you guys work for a living? Seriously, how long do you spend on here?
To give an example of the calibre of poster here I wish to quote Igy. I’m not deliberately picking on you Igy - I could trawl through any thread on this site and easily pick someone else!!
Igy wrote:
Yeah, but the average worker doesn’t need a 3 bed.
They need a 1 bed, and would be happier with a 2 bed.
(that said, if 950 would get me a 3 bed, i’d SO be there )
No you wouldn’t SO be there (Are you posting from LA?). As someone who has recently moved from an apartment to a house I can confirm that it’s not so clear cut. My apartment in Dublin was electrically heated with a monthly ESB bill of around €40. My 3-bed semi-d in Belfast, which I rent, costs £40 stg per month in NIE payments and I have paid just under £1000 stg in home heating oil since January (granted it wasn’t a patricularly efficient boiler but oil prices have skyrocketed!) Have you thought about this?
My own two pence worth.
Prices are going down - yes.
Rents going down (back on topic) - yes but nowhere near to the extent they are predicted here. My specialist area of knowledge is Dublin 8 and demand is still high from what my friends are telling me. See I have anecdotal evidence too. For you information I was paying the same rent in 2003(D4) as I was in 2008 (D8) for the same size apartent.
Ballsbridge (as mentioned by beattie) is not that good a place to rent. Dublinbus infrequent and unreliable, the amenities are pretty poor and it’s a brisk 35/40 minute walk into town. The Ice-bar was the nearest bar to me and it’s awful.
In closing, less time posting, more time living. It’ll sort itself out in the long run with/without our help. Put down the computer - meet a friend for a drink and a meal. Enjoy yourself.
No doubt I’ll get lambasted here but to be honest I probably won’t respond.
Thanks!
