Navan or Arklow for €317.5k for FTBs

Look, we live in Arklow too. It wasn't my first choice but finances dictated where we could buy a house and we just had to deal with it, including being away from family and friends, and commuting to work. Life sucks but there was nothing we could do about it.

Here we are 5 years later - I've changed jobs so I'm commuting to Wexford (who'd have thought...) and hubby is in the same job in Dublin. We both love living in Arklow - the town has changed so much for the better since we moved, and the new Bridgewater shopping centre will be fab. We have a nice circle of friends, like the estate we're in (although I'd pay to get rid of my neighbours ) and wouldn't move back up the N11 if we were paid.

Now my SIL is dying to move to Arklow & is driving my brother demented over it, but because he could be moved to any site in the East, it's not viable for him... but she could wear him down eventually!

If you go into something with a negative attitude, you'll never enjoy it, so just take a deep breath and try to make the most of it.

p.s. I think you might be buying in my estate....
 
Does it begin with a K???. If so we will be living in the same estate!!. thanks for the post, it's nice to hear from someone who has been there done that with the same feelings that I have. Yeah the birdgewater centre is keeping my sanity once!!.LOL!!.
Nice to see you have made some friends too, so there is some hope for me afterall!!.
 
Nope, we live in a place beginning with W but I promise to buy you a coffee when you land!
 
I know that one was looking there too but went with K!! . We are hoping to be closing mid December coz deposit is paid, valuation done and loan offer is going to be sent to our solicitor this week so hopefully we can have a few Xmas beverages to celebrate nevermind coffee!!. Ah you're very good, look forward to it.
I wanted a bungalow in your estate but none for sale and other vendors in an ex-rental in a total jock were stallers so we went with the nicer house with vendor who needs out as much as we need in!!!.
What are the pubs and stuff like down there, like if a few friends came down are there a few good spots for a bit of craic etc??
 
hi..theres a chance u can be sleeping in ur new home.can't guarantee u sleeping on the floor or the bed though!in order to get that u need to hound the solicitor from next week onwards..eventually u have to chase them everyday depneds how sluggish they are.obivously in my case i paid less and u know what service you are getting!good luck
 
Our solicitor will have to be ran after and we are fully aware of that. So once I know that the contracts have been sent out to our solicitor I will have to start ringing him constantly and sending faxes etc to wake him up. And they are charging us 1% of the loan amount so it ain't cheap. If we were lax at all with them we would be lucky to be in the house by Easter!!
 
looks like you are spot on all the time, everytime!
Your Hubby is the luckiest dude to have to as a wife!
All thumbs up! SUPERWIFE!
 
Ah thanks!!!...the difference between us is organisation and being on the ball. I told him already he owes me bigtime for going along with this move!!. Do you know what my little boy said to me last night, that he misses me so much when he is in school and doesn't want his minder to collect him anymore, only his mammy. His minder is a total dote and his loves her but it's still not his mammy nomatter how nice someone is!.I was in bits..as if I didn't know that anyway but for a 5 year old to say that to his mum!. After Xmas I am going to try and get part time or work from home coz logically the commute for me is ridiculous but we need my salary for a while anyway. I hate working full time but sure we are only buying our first house now so it's not like I work to get away from the kids!!!
 
Well welcome to Arklah in advance... my advice is biased because I like these places!!!

Good pubs - Kittys, Christys, The Gin Mill, The Royal (all on Main St)

Good chipper - Tradewinds (Lr. Main St) but Burger Hill will do at a push

Good Chinese - Treasure Inn (Upper Main St.) or CastlePark at the side of Dunnes. There's also an Indian at the side of the Post Office which is rather nice.

Petrol is cheaper in Arklow than anywhere else in Wicklow - you've Apple Green petrol station just 100 yards from your new abode & it's 101.5 @ the moment. They also have a great shop for when you couldn't be arsed driving/walking to Supervalu or Tesco

PM me if you want doc, hairdresser, beauty salon recommendatons or anything else at all!!!
 
And don't forget your local pub Maisie Kellys, nice genuine olde worlde pub. 'think you can't beat Soya Bean for a Chinese meal. Also feel free to PM me for details of local tradesmen / groups / activities / mam & tots groups etc. (You see, us Arkla gang are a friendly lot after all, nothing to be scared of!)

There are fairly good employment prospects in the environs, but if you keep the children in Bray, you will be limiting yourself to north of Arklow, rather than casting your net south and west also.

IMO its not productive to think, this is an interim measure, sure we'll be back in Bray in a few years. Think of Arklow as home, put down roots, throw yourself into making friends, and helping your children to make friends, that way, fairly soon you will grow roots and your whole family will be happier. Good luck, or as we say in Arklow simply "Good".
 
Thanks girls, I will be keeping in touch with both of you as I will be delighted to get some info and get involved in mum & tots groups and my son plays GAA and soccer in Bray at the weekends so it will probably make sence for him to join up in Arklow..sure we will see.
I'm not afraid of going to Arklow it's just being so far from my family and friends is going to hit me hard. Are there any basketball or badminton clubs for ladies down there??. We are going to join the Coral Leisure centre anyway coz we use the one in Wicklow to go swimming anyway.
Sarah- I thought about what you said about my "interim measure" and you are right. After Xmas I will see what the job situation is down there it's just that the salary difference is quiet substantial for me. That is what puts me off, there was a part time accountants position advertised in Gorey and they wanted to pay €14ph..like no way that's an insult but something should come along coz I know deep down that I will go out of my mind commuting for too long and if I got a decent job down there I would change schools for my son and creche for dd!!.
Thanks again ladies...oh and we will be in for Xmas by the looks of things so be ready for the invasion of the mad family!! LOL!!
 
You mention 1.30 to get from Johnstown in Navan to Sandyford. Well, from someone who travelled from Johnstown to Clonskeagh for 2 years - I would strongly advise you to rethink this move. I have now changed jobs and am working in Trim and I have my life back. The commute is just awful and would so change your lives.. My advice would be to look for a new home near where you are now. Don't move your children - they sound happy. Whatever your decision - I wish you the best of luck.
 
thanks Finegan, we have bought in Arklow so hubbie can stay in his job in Sandyford and it's a handy run. We are keeping the kids where they are in schools as we both have to go that way to work anyway. It's not as much as an upheavil as Navan would have been and after Xmas I am going to look for a job nearer to Arklow but I now feel alot better about things and looking forward to our new home.
 
My wife went nuts last year picking up our 5yr old from school and dropping him back to teh creche for teh afternoon as he didn't want to go back and wanted to go home as most of the kids in his class had 'stay-at-home' moms. She eventuyally gave up her job in June as she couldn't hack it. I feel for you as she was cracking up some evenings thinking about having to go through it again the next day. We are making ends meet but the thought of my kids at home with their mother after school every day makes it worth while. Plus creche fees were going up so it was the same for her to work/pay creche than not to work and not pay creche
 
I dread the mornings. I still cry when I drop my daughter to the creche and when I give my son a kiss in the classroom in the mornings before I go my heart breaks. It really gets to me, we are so close and I make it up to him everyday when I come home and same at the weekends. Half the time I am so upset I don't remember how I got to work. It doesn't help that I don't have the most family friendly boss and if I am 3 mins late I get it!. The rest of them in here pull sickies and arrive in late but get away with it. I am the only mother working here so the fact that I start later but work the same amount of hours leaves me open to being made feel like I owe him something. I still need to work and earn a certain amount once we move but I get somthing that I can do while he is at school it is even better. I'm an accountant so it's not like I didn't study me backside off for years and it would be a waste to throw it all away. It took me a bit longer to qualify in between pregnancies and all.
 
my wifes an accountant too and studied also for years, but she couldn't give a toss and gave it all up. We were fortunate enough to buy our house 10yrs ago and the mortgage is just cleared last June at the same time she gave up work. She said she'll go back to work once our 3yr old is in school and not finishing till half 1. Until then she doesn't think its worth it trying to find a part time job for 2hrs every morning.
 

Well lucky you is all I can say!!. I would never have got a mortgage ten years ago coz I was still in college and was only 20. I earn more than my husband also so that's really why I have to work and with the economic climate we are living in those of us born in the 70's who are hitting late 20's/early 30's now have massive mortgages and the cost of living just keeps increasing. If I am totally honest, we would not survive on his salary alone and that's a face. We would be on the breadline, but hopefully in the next 2 years he will be at the top of his scale in his line of work so I have to grin and bear it till then. I would love to work for myself but cannot take that risk until we buy our house, once we are settled and he is doing better at work. I would definatley consider doing the odd few accounts for people on a part time basis to keep the household expenses looked after!
 
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