Kildare has country appeal that's hard to beat

The combination of an easy commute to the city with the space of the countryside on your doorstep sums up the appeal of the county

IN PROPERTY TERMS, Kildare may be a tale of two counties, north and south. The former, which includes Celbridge, Clane, Leixlip and Maynooth, has the combined appeal of an easy commute to the city with the space of the countryside on your doorstep, and prices reflect that. The further south you go, the softer the property market becomes.

“North Kildare is definitely doing better than South Kildare, property wise,” says Eamon O’Flaherty of Property Partners Brady in Maynooth.

His own agency has seen a significant rise in preliminary sales activity, with viewings up 60 per cent. Translating that to sales is still challenging but Maynooth has always been an attractive “micromarket of its own”, he says, due to the fact that “there is a relatively limited supply of houses here and only one or two unfinished estates”.

Right now the properties most likely to sell are those close to the town, he says. “Country properties are harder to sell than urban ones as higher fuel costs are taking their toll,” he says.

On top of that, a big part of the appeal of a town such as Maynooth is the rail service, which is frequent and reliable. “The first question people ask me about any house is how far it is from the train station,” says O’Flaherty.

The other factor Maynooth has in its favour is being a university town. “We get a lot of people who came here to go to college coming back to live when they settle down,” he says.

Three-bed semis typically range from €150,000 to €260,000, while a four-bedroom detached property can be found from €300,000.

At the other end of the county, by contrast, pockets are struggling. Athy for example, which saw its building boom arrive late, now has an overhang of unfinished estates.

“Places like Athy have taken a hammering but for the most part, in Naas, Newbridge and Kildare, if a property is priced right, there are buyers for it,” says Richard Doyle of DNG in Naas.

Naas is a vibrant town with a strong business community. While the new shopping development in the centre of town remains stalled, the Tesco development is doing well, he says.

“We we are now starting to see some new shops open too, to replace businesses that have closed. There has been a pick up on that front.”

Three-bed semis in Naas are available from €170,000, again with those within five minutes’ walk from the town centre getting a premium.

“The last six months has seen an increase in calls and viewings, and people looking to go on our database. The only downside is perhaps that there isn’t a great variety of stock out there at the moment for buyers,” says Doyle.

In Newbridge, Liam Hargaden of Jordan Town and Country is also logging a rise in activity.

“Mortgage interest relief for first-time buyers is having an effect. I’ve just sold a couple of houses to first-time buyers. Secondly, the market is back 60 per cent on what it was, so purchasers are starting to say to themselves, ‘How much further can there be to go?’” says Hargaden.

Apartments are difficult to sell, however. “When the market was good, they went to first-time buyers and investors. Nowadays, first-time buyers can get a four-bedroom house with garden for the same price they would have paid for an apartment a few years back and the investors are all gone,” he says.

The result is that you can pick up an apartment around Newbridge from €70,000, while a three-bedroom semi-d will cost from €150,000 and a four-bedroom detached property from €240,000.

Demand for agricultural land has resurfaced. “Agricultural land is seeing very strong demand in the area and is selling very well. Anything we have put up for sale has sold with a few bidders after it,” says Clive Kavanagh of Jordans.

The agency has sold 1,500 acres in the last 12 months, at an average of €10,000 per acre.

“It’s all farmers buying now, some of it with CPO money from road schemes. We recently sold 70 acres at the Carlow edge for €13,000 an acre, zoned and serviced, which just shows you where we are at – the zoning means nothing. The speculators and developer are all gone.”

He has also seen increased interest from overseas. “We’ve had buyers from the UK, US and Switzerland in recent months. Anybody who is thinking of making a move back can see that now is a good time to buy. People are picking up properties that would have been out of their reach a few years ago.”

Kildare as a whole has an active business community. North Kildare Chamber of Commerce recently launched its strategic plan for the whole county, and is working to roll out initiatives such as a new business incubation centre and public Wi-Fi in the major towns.

“We are also planning a series of weekly and fortnightly networking sessions,” says Allan Shine, chief executive of the chamber.

“These will fly the county flag in that we will be going all around the county with them, including places such as Athy where businesses are crying out for support, advice and mentoring.”

“Like elsewhere in the country, businesses in Kildare have been hit hard by the downturn,” explains Eilis Quinlan, the chamber’s president. “But the buy-in we have had with the strategic plan, from stakeholders that include everyone from the county council to major employers in the area, has been incredible, all of it with the mission of making Kildare the county of choice to work, live and play.”

It already is, some would say. “As a county it offers ease of access to city and airport, good motorway connections to south and west, trains from all the major towns plus the appeal of a university,” says Willie Coonan of Coonan Real Estate Alliance in Maynooth.

“There are also attractions such as Carton Estate, with two world class golf courses and a very fine hotel, plus the K Club and the Curragh, a terrific amenity in itself.”

To cap it off is Kildare’s very own USP – the horsey factor. “We have the Irish National Stud, the three racecourses at the Curragh, Naas and Punchestown and, on top of that, all the main Arab owners have stud farms here,” says Coonan.

On the market

Brook Lodge near Naas is a 4,000 sq ft house on two acres with an artificial putting green and outdoor hot tub. Featuring smart home technology, central vacuuming system, security cameras and underfloor heating. For sale through Jordan Auctioneers at €750,000.

Courtown Demesne is a large period estate house on 156 hectares just outside Kilcock with six bedrooms, a gym and sauna, plus a self-contained two-bedroom guest wing, two gate lodges and extensive stabling. For sale at €10m through REA Coonan and Knight Frank

Carrighill Lodge is a five bedroom house near Kilcullen of 4,100 sq ft with geothermal underfloor heating. On 10 acres of grassland, it has three stables and a garage. Jordan Auctioneers is guiding €850,000.

Birchgrove House in Straffan is a 3,200 sq ft house with paddocks and stabling for sale at €825,000 through Property Partners Brady in Maynooth.