Property along the Dublin coastline has always fetched a premium price. Certain areas command particularly high figures and at this time of year a place by the sea is an even more attractive option.
Some investors actually specialise in buying properties by the coast for renting out: the city's coastline not only has sea views but also a good transport system in the DART, always a useful factor when considering investment properties.
Properties are not so plentiful to rent on the north Dublin coast, although its convenience to the airport is seen as important by some corporate clients.
Prospective tenants from overseas all know about Dalkey/Killiney before they get here. They've heard of the big names, the big prices and the stars in the local supermarket. By the time they get here, they are tugging at the bit, says Amanda Davis, of Christies.
"There is definitely a shortage of properties to rent out in the Killiney/Dalkey area. People want to see any houses we have to rent there, especially at this time of year," she says. Those looking for homes in the Dalkey/ Killiney area are often top drawer, financially speaking, and they demand top-quality interiors - proximity to the coast by itself won't guarantee big rents.
All the agents mention the portfolio run by Robin Power and Michelle Kavanagh, who specialise in buying, renovating and letting period houses in the Sandycove/Dalkey/ Killiney area.
"They specialise in refurbishing properties in this area to a very high standard. They are the first people I would approach on behalf of a client."
Prices at this level can go way over average levels and figures of £3,000/£4,000 a month can be achieved.
Availability of school places is another reason why Dalkey/Killiney scores with clients, and if clients can put up with the odd tourist bus on the Vico Road, it is, quite literally, plain sailing. Another popular area is Sandymount. "It has the advantage not only of being near the coast, but is close to the city as well."
Other remunerative locations for investors are apartment/duplex developments like Sion Hill, in Blackrock, Clearwater Cove and The Anchorage development in Dun Laoghaire.
Rents here average around £800 to £900 per month for a two-bedroom apartment. A top floor apartment with sea views, two bedrooms and a large west-facing balcony is for rent at Salthill, in Monkstown, Co Dublin, through Christies at £900 a month. "Not only do many of these properties have sea views but they are also close to the DART. The apartments with the sea views will always rent more quickly," says Amanda Davis.
More apartments are being developed in the Dun Laoghaire area with new apartments in the former Pavilion cinema recently launched. Prices for the first phase are £210,000 for one-beds, two-beds from £265,000 right up to £1m for four-bed penthouses.
Being so near the harbour the exterior of the windows will be finished in UPVC while the interiors will be finished in timber.
Investors should keep in mind that properties near the sea can be subject to more wear and tear from the elements, and they should factor this into long-term costings, especially where period properties are concerned. Of course living by the sea doesn't suit everyone. Some people can't stand the heaving mass of greyness in the winter months. Windows often need more cleaning due to salt, and coastal areas also attract day-trippers. Places like Seapoint and Portmarnock can be inundated on summer weekends.
But these factors don't deter many: Lisney's Dun Laoghaire office has just let a three-bedroom period house on Sandycove Avenue West with spectacular views over Dublin Bay and Joyce's Tower for £3,000 a month.
Other Lisney properties for rent include Carrig Mews, off Strand Road, Killiney, a two-bedroom mews overlooking Killiney beach enjoying uninterrupted sea views. The property, which has a patio and viewing deck, is available for short lets of four to six months at £1,300 a month.
Nearby, Mont Alto, at 4 Sorrento Road, in Dalkey, a three-bedroom terraced period house in walking distance of the village, is for rent for £1,800 a month.
A two-bedroom apartment at Bartra Rock, in Dalkey, is renting for £1,200, while one without a sea view but still with a Dalkey address is a two-bedroom part-furnished semi at St Margaret's, Castlepark Road, in Dalkey, is available at £800 a month.
Geraldine McMenamin of Lisney's in Dun Laoghaire says that properties close to the DART are always lettable, and those near the sea are easier to rent than others, especially at this time of year. Professionals tend to be the typical client. Yet although houses and apartments with sea views move more quickly, "it's hard to actually quantify the added cost to a rental property with a sea view," she says. There are some minuses. "Parking can be an issue in Dalkey or Killiney. And ironically, properties in Dun Laoghaire which face the sea are usually facing northwards, but that doesn't put anyone off," she says. "They often have the sea at the front and the sun at the back." For some overseas clients, the sea means cooler weather.
"Someone coming from a warm climate wouldn't think our climate was so appealing and so wouldn't think that being near the sea was all that necessary." Yet you could have a property fronting a busy road and near the DART, and still the clients will go for it if there's a sea view, argues Denis Kavanagh, of Gunne. Clearwater Cove in Dun Laoghaire is an example, where one-beds rent at about £750, two-beds at £850 and three-beds at £1,200." The DART and the busy coast road run directly in front of this block of apartments.
Marina Village in Malahide is also a good bet for investors and he suggests Corr Castle, in Howth, as somewhere with guaranteed letting potential. This upmarket development is being sold through Douglas Newman Good with units costing from £275,000.
A new marina development will make Dun Laoghaire even more popular, says Denis Kavanagh.
Bray is not as popular, but it's still on the DART, near the sea and cheaper than Dalkey/Killiney. H J Byrne has been letting out two-bed apartments in Toner House, on Sidmonton Place, a renovated property that was formerly a school, from £800 to £1,500 a month. Katherina Cahill, of Home Locators, says there is scope for more investment property along the coast of Dublin's northside. "A lot of people are working in Co Louth and want to live near the airport," she says, "and are keen to live along the coastline near the sea."
A popular area for renting is Clontarf, close to the city, on the DART and near the sea. Home Locators has a six-bedroom modern house on Oulton Road, Clontarf, for £2,500 a month.
Joan Fogarty, of Lisney's city office, confirms the shortage of northside properties. "We would certainly have demand for properties in Malahide and Howth. International companies near Drogheda and Dundalk - such as Coca Cola - have helped create the demand." Lisney has a detached three-bedroom house to let on Carrickbrack Road, in Sutton. It's on an elevated site overlooking Dublin Bay and costs £2,000 a month, with the upkeep of the garden included in the rent.
Meanwhile, a four-bed semi-detached house in Lissadel Crescent, in Malahide, costs £1,000 a month.
Further north along the coast, at Bettystown, Co Meath, The Anchorage is being sold by Robert B. Daly, in Drogheda. These two and three-bedroom seaside townhouses and apartments start at £110,000 for the two-bed and from £129,500 for the three-bed.
Being on the train line and close to the sea is something shrewd investors should be thinking about.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/6BDEAESQEJH4BHNFRSVZH3W4TM.png)