Someone's still building apartments

[a_house_is_not_a_hom]

Ashamed to say I can’t do the linky thing, but…

There’s a thread on boards.ie (the electrical board) today - a poster who’s buying off the plans, with construction just commencing now.

Surely no builder is going down that road now, unless under extreme pressure from the banks ?

Why would anyone be buying off the plans now, with so much stock around ?

Sounds like a pretty bog-standard development.

[BrendanG]

Here you go!

The poster seems to be very clued in OK!

The builder must be thanking his lucky stars!

[groom1]

Oh yeah. Check out this. This one is asking how to get a loan to pay a deposit. People are telling him to go to a credit union because it won’t show up on bank records.
askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=81964

I threw him some nuggets

[InForADime]

Anyone want to ask Kate directly, she might know? What are the banning criteria nowadays anyway?!

[a_house_is_not_a_hom]

@InForADime

Anyone want to ask Kate directly, she might know? What are the banning criteria nowadays anyway?!

This is going to get me in the shit again here but…

the tone and tenor suggest to me there’s only a slim chance she knows what day of the week it is.

I was going to give her some non-electrical advice (ie to come on here) but who can reason with such bliss ?

otoh, perhaps she should be directed to that neighbours board thread re delays in completion. Where is that ?

[Open_Window]

**I’m buying an apartment off the plans. (Might be a mistake but I’ll give it a go!!) **

Oh Jesus would someone PM that poster quick!

[Chomp]

It would be interesting to invite the poster onto this thread to ask her about her thought process in buying an *apartment *off-plans now. Not to mention potentially massively beneficial to her.

Ed: Seems others have already mentioned this idea!

[InForADime]

@a house is not a home

otoh, perhaps she should be directed to that neighbours board thread re delays in completion. Where is that ?

Neighbours.ie?

My first thought hearing developers selling off the plans was that you’d be looking at 5 years before they’re finished.

Don’t suppose there’s any sign of land values dropping enough for new pricing structures from scratch yet?

[a_house_is_not_a_hom]

@InForADime

@a house is not a home

otoh, perhaps she should be directed to that neighbours board thread re delays in completion. Where is that ?

Neighbours.ie?

My first thought hearing developers selling off the plans was that you’d be looking at 5 years before they’re finished.

Don’t suppose there’s any sign of land values dropping enough for new pricing structures from scratch yet?

I know the site, but can’t find the thread on here where the thing was discussed.

As for land prices, was talking to a friend today from Laois, where 10ish acres are up for 290k. I know the location is hopeless in the eyes of many pinsters, but surely that is not the price of agricultural land is it ?

Marginally related to all of this, I was reading on the ‘construction’ boards.ie that a blockie in the West is charging 70 cent a block. Have heard the same from Galway. That’s a huge drop on a couple of years ago - 30%ish.

[2Pack]

There will always be people buying and some will deliberately incur negative equity to so do .

.

[a_house_is_not_a_hom]

@2Pack

There will always be people buying and some will deliberately incur negative equity to so do

I confess that I didn’t get any feeling that the OP had deliberated to that extent.

[mrslemon]

@a house is not a home

otoh, perhaps she should be directed to that neighbours board thread re delays in completion. Where is that ?

neighbours.ie/dublin9/showthread.php?t=84

[InForADime]

@a house is not a home

Marginally related to all of this, I was reading on the ‘construction’ boards.ie that a blockie in the West is charging 70 cent a block. Have heard the same from Galway. That’s a huge drop on a couple of years ago - 30%ish.

Did it not make it up to €1.60 p.b. in Dublin, or even higher? Those lads used to be the highest paid on the site. Until BATU fecked it up for them by pissing off one of the big ten, who then stopped using bricks (from assorted recollections - possibly ever word open to correction)

[daltonr]

Call me cynical, but is “Kate” even for real?

Is pretending to be a buyer making a stupid mistake the newest fad in trolling?

Regardless of whether it’s genuine, it’s interesting that there hasn’t yet been a single post in favour of the purchase. If it were on AAM it would have to be locked for not being balanced.

Just to even things up a bit I gave her a bit of encouragement.

-Rd

[Chomp]

@mrslemon

neighbours.ie/dublin9/showthread.php?t=84

Jesus, that thread is an absolute train wreck. A lot of very tetchy and stressed-out sounding people. And this exchange totally baffles me:

what is the sq. footage for a duplex - the bedrooms and also the living/dining room? is it not the same as the show apartment - ?

What you see on SHOW isn’t exactly what your going to get. The show apartment was just set up in a prefab building. I for sure, as a 1 bed buyer (and my views would have been the same if I bought a 2 bed) did not think that a 2 bed apartment, duplex or whatever was going to be the same size as the show apartment because it’s purely for show! Now don’t get me wrong, if you were told prior to seeing your apartment what your square footage was and then it turned out to be smaller in a big way I’d be pi**ed off about it too. But if you weren’t told anything about the square footage of your apartment and went in assuming that it was going to be same as the show apartment then you must be disappointed.

So, the show-apartment showed, erm, what exactly? How to tastefully use throws and cushions to set off the neutral tones of the Magnolia paint? “Oh, isn’t it gorgeous? Just look at those lovely lamp-shades! Yeah, let’s buy one. Don’t need to see dimensions, just show me where to sign!” Mind boggling.

Another exchange from this week:

Is anyone pissed off about the Creche being made smaller?

A large Creche would be more valuable for the development than an extra apartment - another question how many people moving in will be parents - and why have we being not notified? We have paid for this Creche - it must be reflected in our prices - so who are the losers here? We are because we are getting a much smaller Creche which probably now will not be big enoug!!

It seems the builders have only students / property landowners / rather than families with kids as first time buyers…

Is it possible that a buyer(s) could prevent this from happening?

Seems to me that we the buyers are powerless to do anything and the builders can do what the hell they like regardless sure they have hardly notified anything to anybody and if it was not for this forum we would all still be in the dark.

Absolutely fuc*** disgusting. How isn’t this crap out-and-out illegal? What the hell is the point of solicitors and contracts and snagging and all that crap if you spend a fortune on one thing and get another? Jesus Christ. Thanks Bertie, great job mate.

And saw this on AAM, post dated 14 Feb 08:

hi all. has anyone any views on the development in Milners Square. Paid deposit in Nov 05 due to finish Feb 07 no sign of finish yet. Has anyone who purchased taken any action. Recd. a letter in Jan saying possibly finished in April, but passed them today no chance.

Would really like my money back at this stage.

askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?p=206670

This country is a frigging shambles.

[ewd3]

@daltonr

Call me cynical, but is “Kate” even for real?

Is pretending to be a buyer making a stupid mistake the newest fad in trolling?

Regardless of whether it’s genuine, it’s interesting that there hasn’t yet been a single post in favour of the purchase. If it were on AAM it would have to be locked for not being balanced.

Just to even things up a bit I gave her a bit of encouragement.

-Rd

Sorry Dalton but we get a little insulated here

many people still have that mentality…

What seems an obvious troll to us may be a real post

Friend bought an apartment 6 months ago…

wouldn’t listen to a word I said…

[BrendanG]

Seems it’s too late to save Kate!

Originally Posted by fishdog View Post
I am not going to advise you on when or what to buy. Here are a few things to think about concerning the electrical layout:

1. Flat screen TV. They are now quite cheap (€800 for a good 32” and upwards) and can double as a computer monitor. I would advise that you ensure that the wiring is installed for one now rather than wreck the apartment at a later date!! Flat screens can look so well when properly installed, and so terrible when not!!
   Do not put it in a corner (they look like an after thought there!) or up really high. The centre of the screen should be at eye level when you are sitting down. This prevents sore necks!! I like to have the DVD player, digi-box etc hidden away neatly, not under or close to the flat screen. This gives that fantastic minimalist look. I would insist that no TV points are in the corners. All TV points should be installed with flat screens in mind, the day of the deep box type TV has past. For €300 you can get a sleek little flat screen for your bedroom.

2. Sockets, the kitchen in particular needs lots. Bedrooms, I go for one each side of bed (bedside light/radio etc.) and one in the far corner. Hall needs one for vacume. Outside socket on balcony is nice for radio etc.

3. Ensure you have a pone point at alarm panel, where ever your computer will be and at digi-box at a minimum.

4. Light switch beside bed in master bedroom. Always nice!

5. Extractor fans in all bathrooms!

6. Dimmer switches in dining room/kitchen and living room.

7. A mirror light is also great in the bathrooms. I hate the globe type of light fitting that has become standard for bathrooms, if you don’t like it either say it before they install one! Brushed chrome IP rated down lighters are what I normally go for in bathrooms.

If you like to cook electric, make sure they are wiring for it and not gas!

9. I like my sounds, so if you do to get wired for it. If the apartment is small I suggest a Bose system, they are small, neat, discreet although a little pricey. IMHO they are worth it. Select the system before you wire for it to be sure that the wiring is compatible. Your TV sound can come out of these speakers too.

Take a look at a finished apartment, it may give you ideas. Think about lighting when you look.
Good luck with the apartment!

Fantastic advise. I’ll definitely be printing off this list with me to get sorted. I really appreciate the time you took to advise.

Thanks everyone else for your advice…albeit too late and not to the question asked!!

From checking Kate’s other posts it appears she’s an office girl in Limerick, God help her if Dell closes before she gets her apartment!

[bisi]

@Chomp

So, the show-apartment showed, erm, what exactly? How to tastefully use throws and cushions to set off the neutral tones of the Magnolia paint? “Oh, isn’t it gorgeous? Just look at those lovely lamp-shades! Yeah, let’s buy one. Don’t need to see dimensions, just show me where to sign!” Mind boggling.

I remember that place. The show apartment was a gem in the art of misdirection:

• It was aligned on a north/south axis, ensuring that the bedrooms got sun all day: all of the apartments are east/west.

• The marketing suite meant that the entire living room wall was removed. It was marked on the floor, sure, but you’d be amazed how much bigger an area looks when it’s open like that. If you didn’t know, you’d never realise how narrow it was/would be.

• The pièce de résistance (or coup de grâce, depending) was the addition of an extra cupboard in the entrance hallway. If you looked in it, you saw various computery bits’n’bobs, and I’m fairly certain the idea was that it should represent the “networking hub” of the apartment. The trouble is that it wasn’t on the plans, and the addition of an extra two feet in the hall carried on through to the main bathroom, the master bedroom, and its en-suite.

Basically, there were no stops pulled in maximising the apparent space, and if you didn’t know to ask, you’d never realise it.

@Chomp

This country is a frigging shambles.

In that case, though, they were pretty up-front about saying that completion was end of '08*. Given that it was mid-'06 at the time, that woke me up to the time bomb. That, and the way they were asking for more than 3-bed houses in the area were going for…

*: granted, that was for a phase that they haven’t even started yet. This one will run and run…