Overnight queueing, pre-launch viewing: new houses sell out fast

It was like the last days of the empire in Goatstown, south Dublin last week when the masses descended on a newly-launched housing scheme, Knockrabo, to bag their new homes. The Whelan-built scheme of 23 homes, starting at €750,000, launched publicly on Thursday, but the night before a select group of 1,500 registered buyers were invited to a pre-launch viewing. By Friday evening 500 people had viewed the site and 20 units were booked. The last three sold over the weekend when around 2,500 parties viewed the homes. At an average selling price of just under €900,000 per house, around €20 million in sales was netted. Not a bad weekend's work.

It questions the point, however, of holding an open viewing at all, but sales agent DNG says it was the only way to manage the massive interest in the scheme that had been building prior to launch – and avoid overnight queuing. Showhouse viewings in the coming weeks will be purely to facilitate buyers interested in the next – not yet built – phase.

Speaking of queues, two weeks ago the Ballymore scheme, St Marnock's Bay near Portmarnock, saw buyers queuing overnight for their dream home. With 33 three-, and four-bed homes on sale for between €430,000 and €665,000, selling agents Savills say all available stock sold on the opening weekend. A further 10 houses were sold from plans last October. Showhouses on view this weekend in the scheme are for a further six semi-detached four-beds priced from €630,000. The next chance to buy will be phase two in the autumn when 52 houses will be launched. It will be interesting to see how the pricing changes for the second-phase homes.

Meanwhile word reaches the Block that units are already selling quietly at Dublin 4’s hottest site, Lansdowne Place. The Chartered Land scheme with Joe O’Reilly at the helm is located on the former site of the Berkeley Court Hotel, and although the units won’t be ready until 2018 it is one of the most eagerly awaited apartment schemes of recent times, with well-heeled downsizers clamouring to get in. Joint agents Savills and Sherry FitzGerald remain tight lipped about pricing, but we know of at least one buyer who has paid around €1.5 million for a three bed – and that’s not a penthouse. Watch this space.