Property Path - Help or Hindrance?

Q

qwerty08

Registered User
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Dear all,

I would like to apologise in advance for the rant but I am new to this and even at this early stage I just cant get over the level of confusion, misinformation and ineptitude surrounding this whole process re: AH and AHI

To be honest it seems to me the only place to get any form of information on the whole subject is through this forum! Just to give a bit of background on my own case, I am a new graduate who is due to take up a position in Dublin which involves a contract for 3 years. I've spent the last two years in Dublin already and have reached the stage where I am no longer willing to pay someone else's mortgage! (If i'm contracted for the next 3 years, you're talking about 500 p/m rent for 36 months = 18,000 DOWN THE DRAIN)

Motivated by this, I started to seriously look at the prospect of affordable housing last week. I've read nearly every thread on the subject on here and found the information invaluable! I didnt even realise there were 2 schemes until i read it here.

So after much searching during the week, it seems to me the normal affordable house SCHEME is a non starter in my case given that the waiting lists are gone so long, i'd probably be out of contract by the time i'd get something.

So....

I like many others have seen recently the advertisements in papers regarding houses for sale in places like adamstown which fall under the affordable housing format. From the formum I am to understand that these fall under under the affordable housing initiative i.e. they cost a little more but there is practically no wait involved (so long as your registered for affordable housing in the first place)

Now this sounds great to me cos initial talks with the banks have told me provided one of my parents act as guarantor i'll get 300k.

(Now here's where i get P****d off)

Having done a week of research on this whole area i rang property path armed with a list of questions as long as my arm, all of which were clear cut i.e. YES / NO! I have to say I have never come across an idividual in a professional capacity like the one i encountered today. She acted like she was being interogated by the guards, the hesitency and vagueness in her responses was just mind boggling! When i said that i had the recent paper advertisements in my hand regarding open days, she said that i would be waiting 18 months for these.

When i asked if this was the case even though i wanted to go down the AHI route, she said i would be waiting a year?!?!?!?! Now everyone knows the climate we're in and it doesnt take a genius to work out why these types of houses have ended up in the likes of the indo, herald and even on DAFT...inevitably a certain amount of houses will never shift and clearly its a buyer's market.

So why on earth can a guy like me whose starting out, on a modest wage (but thankfully has some parental backing), ticks all the boxes for property path, and ISNT EVEN THAT FUSSY SO LONG AS I'M PAYING TOWARDS MY OWN MORTGAGE AND NOT SOMEONE ELSES have to endure this black hole of mystery.

Surely if we are to believe the hype and there is overwhelming demand for every single Affordable housing unit and no matter what you do, you will be waiting for years....then why are they taking out full page ads in the papers?!!! and why are property path so vague??!! If they dont like questions then have decent website! why is there literally no information on the website differentiating between AH and AHI???!!! and lastly as i am starting to believe, ARE THEY MAKING IT UP AS THEY GO ALONG? i mean for god sake i read this week that the whole process was only automated very recently!

As often said, It could only happen in Ireland that you approach a crowd selling houses that dont actually help you to buy a house!

I'd appreciate any recent or up to date info from people who have applied only recently re: waiting times, the AHI, etc...

Thanks

Qwerty
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

I understand where your coming from qwerty08, but i was lucky enough to bite my tongue and put up with the vagueness for 16 months and have now put a deposit on a place that im very happy with.

It is like a black hole when you ask the difference between the AHI and the normal afforable housing.

Have you attended at any of the open viewings as advertised? have you got your ref number from property path? If so then all you have to do is attend the open viewings with a cheque book for your deposit when you find one suitable and your ref number from property path. Simple as that apparently, basically in AHI you are buying directly from the builder but are facilitated thru property path .. thats what i can gather anyways.

would it be worth your while actually popping into the office and speak with someone face to face. Its always a lot easier that way.
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

Can I make one commetn 500/month is very cheap for rent in Dublin. I got offered a place by south Dub after around a year maybe less couldnt take it at the time for personal reasons, but maybe you should at least stay on the lost or apply. Sorry not sure if you said you'd applied yet or not.

I know I cant talk about property prices but why not apply/wait and see what happens with AH and the open market prices?
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

I havent attended any as of yet cos it's only been this week as such since i started seriously looking into the idea (and havent come off the internet since - i'm like a hermit! lol)

But I too have heard and been encouraged by stories of simply going along to open days with a property path ref no. and putting the deposit down there and then...

think i'm gonna head in this week...is property path like an umbrella organisation for all the councils or will i have to apply separately to them as well?

Also i'm just wondering with re: AHI typically what % saving are you getting on mv and compared to the normal scheme. Given what i've endured in this short space of time, id like to know it'll all be worth it before they give me high blood pressure.
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

well i was just working some no.s but even at 500, the reality of what i was wasting was scary!! do you mind if i ask where you got offered cos ideally i would love some place like lucan/adamstown but i cant figure out what areas fall under each individual council's administrative zone!
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

I was offered Broadfield Hall, Tallaght Cross and its a great development in a great area, im chuffed so it was worth my while waiting in the end. Property Path will only look after areas north and south of the naas road, North is clondalkin lucan newcastle and south is tallaght rathfarnham, saggart rathcoole.. dont think i left any out!!
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

so for arguments sake (and wishful thinking really from what i'm hearing) if you wanted a place in a spot like sandyford, you'd be applying to DRCC or in the city centre... DCC? Am i correct in saying that?

Also i heard there were some special rules governing docklands developments? can anyone shed some light on that?
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

Yeah thats how it goes qwerty08 each area you wish to apply for you ll have to apply to the correct council. i believe that sdcc have the quickest waiting time, but i cant be sure. I dont know much about any other local authority sorry.
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

If you can get a mortgage of 300k would you not be better going on the open market and buying privatelty?
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

Hi

You apply to each county council separetly so if you are after south dublin you apply there and if you are after dublin city you apply to dublin city council, from looking at the website affordablehome.ie south dublin seems to have the most properties available

the AHI houses ie the ones in newcastle, new bancroft and adamstown as far as i am aware you can just go to view them and put your deposit and then you can apply to property path after (property path is the name south dublin have on their affordable housing unit)

so as far as i am aware its just first come first serve with these houses and you do not have to be on the list already. these houses are more expensive but they also have a better finnish (much better kitchen bathroom the normal AH are just basic everything)

If i had the money i would go that way but I dont.

you are also dealing direct with the builder, ie you just send in the forms to property path )

hope this helps
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

Well im in a bit of a precarious position in that at the moment I probably couldnt afford two brown farthings! lol the job im starting with has a very basic initial salary, talking about 25k but in year 2 should be bout 32k and once im fully qualified (in year 3) you're talking about a jump to at least 47 k overnight...so as you can see 300k would be a massive stretch for me initially but should be ok after bout year and a half! so ideally id like to get a decent place for as reasonable as possible but i know my first year is gonna be tough.

I like the idea of AH cos the banks seem more open in the current constrained market to lend. i suppose in real terms the loan they are giving you is partially cushioned in that they benefit in terms of reduced risk because of the discount you are getting from MV (if i am making sense here! lol)
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

Thanks actionmags, you seem to be clued in! :)

so do you think the AHI is worth it? i mean you still have the clawback etc, restrictions on renting...is there still enough of a discount given in these schemes to warrant being tied down?
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

The clawback on the AHI seems to be less than the ones that you are on a list for

but then again the clawback seems to have gone down again on the normal AH lists because of the drop in the market

my advice would be to head out at the weekend and check out the places I have seen the outside of the ones in Newcastle they seem really nice and I would love one there but dont have the money (although you would need a car in my opinion) and the ones in new bancroft which are lovely

a friend wanted one there but it was sold out and then 2 weeks later more came up on the AHI scheme so she got one then
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

ya looked at newcastle but not sure if i want to be cutting myself off from the city and like you say your car dependant. Adamstown just sounds so good on paper with the train and bus links but i looked at a few of the developments (under schemes and privately) and the design of some of them just seems to be off the wall! just worried that once the hype settles and time rolls on next thing you know its branded legoland or something! there's just something about it though that i'm really drawn to!!
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

Hi

I have to say I dont like adamstown, I think when your in it you could be in the center of town (built up) but with none of the benefits

have you tried new bancroft its in tallaght village so good buses and near the luas
 
Re: Property Path - Help or Hindrance?!!

ya they seem nice from the outside but would like to get a house or duplex if at all possible. like even today i asked the one in property path if i did have to wait 18 months did she have any idea of developments that were starting now or in the near future? all i wanted was to see is the situation going to get more or less competitive for affordable units.

Response: "I wouldnt know that"

I am firmly of the opinion that some people are just not built to deal or interact with people. As for that one today, if i was her boss i wouldnt let her sell penny sweets to children she was so bad!
 
the ones in New Bancroft are apartments and the ones in newcastle are lovely duplexes (would love one of those myself :()

I understand exactly what you are saying about PP, when I was offered my apartment I asked (or tried to ask) what other developments would be coming up and was met with silence , it would be my thinking they should have some idea what is up next or what will be coming up....maybe they are sworn to silence or their tongues cut out before they get a job there
 
BTY i am not sure if banks will let your parents be guarantors on AH, cause the idea is that its affordable ??? maybe that might be specific to certain banks though
 
Hi qwerty08,

For the AHI you still need to have your name down on the council list, so for Adamstown or new Bancroft (where i have a deposit down) you need to be on the SDCC list. When you go and put your deposit down you need to have your ref no. from the council. I decided to go down the AHI route mainly because of the waiting list time. Was originally on the DLRCC list for over a year but then realised even if i got to the top i wouldnt be able to afford the "affordable price". So also put my name on SDCC list in May of this year. You are right though about the lack of info regarding the affordable housing scheme and the AHI. Impossible to find out any info anywhere!! Even though i have put a deposit down im still not 100% sure what the diff is! Except of course the AHI is more expensive.
 
I think the only difference is AHI fleeces you more because you earn a bit more, does no one else think some of the affordable housing couldnt be described as affordable particularly in the DUn Laoghaire Rathdown area, they're 'affordable' prices are scandalous imo.

I got offered in Old Bawn to answer the OP's question by the way, nice area in my opinion but just bad timing : )
 
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