Forward buying is not just for collectors of fine wines or stock market players. Property forecasters are looking speculatively at areas of Dublin that may not be too attractive at present, but have prospects for the near future.
Some are highlighting the new Port Access Tunnel route, believing that property on the roads along the route is likely to rise in value once the traffic is gone.
East Wall Road and Short Strand, without the dust and noise of passing traffic, will be infinitely more attractive. Griffith and Collins Avenues, two roads which have suffered for years from traffic congestion, will be very desirable places to live.
"There's absolutely no doubt property in these areas will go between seven and eight per cent above the national average once the tunnel is built," says Douglas Newman Good director Conor Gallagher.
"Roads like Collins Avenue and Griffith Avenue are about two miles from the city centre and much cheaper than comparative areas on the southside. The reality is, people will always want to live close to where their work is."
The tunnel is on schedule and completion is expected by December 2004, says deputy project spokesperson John Flanagan.
Work has begun between the Coolock interchange and Collins Avenue in Whitehall and at the port end of the tunnel, close to Alfie Byrne Road in Fairview.
These will be the areas of most disruption during construction, where entrances and "cut and cover" tunnels are to be built. Elsewhere, the work will be underground.
The tunnel will start at the Coolock interchange on the M1 and exit on East Wall Road, close to Dublin Port. A toll will be levied on cars, since the tunnel is primarily intended for truck traffic, says John Flanagan.
Between now and completion date, there will be increased congestion along the route as trucks and cars negotiate on reduced traffic lanes. Side roads currently used as rat runs by motorists escaping port-bound traffic will return to normal once the tunnel is open for business.
"Rat runs" through previously undisturbed roads are already becoming established, says Declan Cassidy of Gunne Estate Agents', which has an office across the road from the Fairview section of the tunnel project.
"We're seeing lots of trucks crossing the Malahide Road and going down Copeland Avenue to avoid the traffic in Fairview. The big trucks are pushing cars down the small roads off Griffith Avenue," he says.
The roads which have been choked with traffic for years are excellent choices for those with spare cash to invest. The word is already out that tidy little ex-Corporation houses on the roads off East Wall are particularly good first-time buys.
The area will benefit from the new Docklands Development Plan and - with East Point Business Park and the IFSC within walking distance - rental potential is excellent. About £150,000 (190,500) upwards (depending on condition) will buy a two or three-bedroom ex-Corporation house on one of the East Wall roads.
Griffith Avenue - a tree-lined road with substantial family houses - is currently taking a beating with heavy goods traffic. There are potential bargains to be had on this already sought-after thoroughfare. Side roads off Griffith Avenue such as Glandore Avenue and Calderwood Road - now used as a traffic short-cut - are also worth a second look.
Collins Avenue is another road which has suffered from juggernauts for years. Solid three and four-bedroom semis can be bought here from £215,000 (272,990).
Traffic going down Collins Avenue often uses Belton Park Road as a short-cut, so houses here would be a good buy. Philipsburg Road in Fairview - like Clonliffe Road, Drumcondra Road and North Circular Road - is another busy through road which will quieten down once the tunnel is built. And port traffic on Oscar Traynor and Kilmore Roads in Coolock should almost disappear post-2004.
