Reply to: House prices, to be sure to be sure

[Old Greg]

"older houses are better built"

can we further qualify that: the older houses that are still standing today are better built. There were older houses that were worse built, but they fell down/got demolished. Stands to reason innit?

There is probably some truth in this. Back to back slums were largely bombed in the war or demolished subsequently in slum clearance. these houses weren't just small and pokey and unfit for human habitation but often very poorly built. George Orwell wrote about this in the '30s in Road to Wigan Pier - about housing built in mining subsidence areas with masive cracks down the walss etc. Sounds familiar. Having said that, my modest 1850s house (redbrick 2 up 2 down with modern rear extension) is lasting very well and looks good for another 200 years.

[NoddY]

Paddy is in hoc to the City boys and their Wall Street chums big time. What's worse is he can't inflate away the problem Italian style. He's left with bungalow blight and doll house estates.

[thunderlizard]

"older houses are better built"

can we further qualify that: the older houses that are still standing today are better built. There were older houses that were worse built, but they fell down/got demolished. Stands to reason innit?

[Maxamus]

believe me guys, older houses are far superior. New houses that are built by the likes of wimpey and bellway are cheap knock-ups!

I use to work for Sunderland council once upon a time and was sometimes asked to carry out surveys and snagging on new houses so certificates of completion can be given. What i found was that most of the quick knockups by these companys were poorly constructed using cheap materials and the workmanship was poor. They hide they poor work by a good neat looking exterior finish which a buyer sees.

Concrete slabs most of the time are not given enough curing time and would crack easily under temperature changes. Likewise for walls. You would notice cracks in as little as 2yrs!

I willl never buy a new build!

[cailin maith]

265k that near Dublin? That's dead cheap. I have buddies in Cork who are paid well over that for 3 beds. It's crazy over there.

Yeah it's near enough to Dublin but it's still the assh*le of nowhere...

[Bagpuss]

I beg to differ, houses built up to around 20 years ago maybe but when I was looking (7 years ago) I couldn't believe how small and noisy they were because of thin walls and ceilings, also I didn't like the idea of my front door touching the bottom of the staircase or even worse having the staircase in the lounge, I guess they do vary depending on the developer and the target buyers though.

3 story town houses (out of town ) seem to be all the rage these days, I bet the developers are kicking themselves for not thinking off that sooner.

Yes, new builds in the Sarf East tend to be poorly built and tiny, where your back garden shoud be are two other houses. On the whole though, New houses are built to be more energy efficient, my Dad lives in a new build, he used to build houses so is very exacting and quality wise he had few complaints

[gingerjedi]

I think this an urban legend. Old houses are just as poorly/cheaply constructed as the new ones. The fact that walls are thicker doesn't make them necessary better quality ones (and most of the time not even more sound-proof at all).

I beg to differ, houses built up to around 20 years ago maybe but when I was looking (7 years ago) I couldn't believe how small and noisy they were because of thin walls and ceilings, also I didn't like the idea of my front door touching the bottom of the staircase or even worse having the staircase in the lounge, I guess they do vary depending on the developer and the target buyers though.

3 story town houses (out of town ) seem to be all the rage these days, I bet the developers are kicking themselves for not thinking off that sooner.

[Chugnut]

I think this an urban legend. Old houses are just as poorly/cheaply constructed as the new ones. The fact that walls are thicker doesn't make them necessary better quality ones (and most of the time not even more sound-proof at all).

Got to disagree with that matey. In my experience, (with the exception of Colt or Prefabs/Airey houses) older houses are generally far superior to the modern day tat.

More parking, more generous gardens, better quality of workmanship. Probably because excessive greed wasn't the principle reason in building the house, unlike modern day developments.

I've heard plenty of people complaining about their new builds, but no-one ever seems to praise them. Seems to be the general feeling in the trade too.

[Francko]

IMO 90% of new houses are poorly/cheaply constructed compared to old and are never going to be in prime locations so why do they hold value so well?

I think this an urban legend. Old houses are just as poorly/cheaply constructed as the new ones. The fact that walls are thicker doesn't make them necessary better quality ones (and most of the time not even more sound-proof at all).

[gingerjedi]

IMO 90% of new houses are poorly/cheaply constructed compared to old and are never going to be in prime locations so why do they hold value so well?

Just looking at the recent floods it does seem that a majority are new builds built on land that was previously considered unfit or at risk, it stands to reason that older houses are going to be in the prime locations.

Where I live a modern 3 bed semi commands nearly the same price as a 30's house despite the fact the 30's house will generally be bigger and in a better location, do people really prefer new with a 10 year builders guarantee over a building that’s stood the test of time? I don't understand?

[Francko]

My brother bought a house about 50 miles from Dublin last year - nice enough.... 4 beds etc but €265,000 euro and they only earn about €80,000 between them - it's scary!!!

Oh well not really. In London if you earn 80k you wouldn't want to live in an east london studio flat (with the exception of sadguru, of course) worth 265k. Or that's even more scary, isn't it?

[Unwitting Catalyst]

supply and demand

Last year, 80,000 new houses were built in ireland which has a population of 4 million. In the UK, 160,000 were built for a population of 60 million. This is about supply and demand, not to do with the ECB interest rates

[Old Greg]

My brother bought a house about 50 miles from Dublin last year - nice enough.... 4 beds etc but €265,000 euro and they only earn about €80,000 between them - it's scary!!!

265k that near Dublin? That's dead cheap. I have buddies in Cork who are paid well over that for 3 beds. It's crazy over there.

[cailin maith]

I saw something about house prices, and my involuntary tick kicked in, and next thing you know im posting a link here again.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...h-1044153.html

"THE value of average priced homes in some areas of the country is plummeting by €10,000 each month.

Estate agents last night confirmed that - despite recent concessions for first time buyers - there has been an alarming drop in house and apartment prices across the country over the past three months.

............"

Of course, this kind of thing could never happen here. Never. Ever.

My brother bought a house about 50 miles from Dublin last year - nice enough.... 4 beds etc but €265,000 euro and they only earn about €80,000 between them - it's scary!!!

[milanbenes]

ahhh,

thanks Pickle, yep, they're in the Euro and governed by the European Central Bank interest rates

al es kla

thanks,

Milan.