While it is still too early to call the new auction season, there can be no doubt about the early success of the new homes market. A range of apartment and starter homes launched over the past month have been selling briskly from plans. House-builders invariably bump up prices between one season and the next but this time there were virtually no changes as developers braced themselves for a tougher market. The gamble seems to have paid off for those who launched early. Last weekend, Castlethorn took bookings for 64 homes worth £11.6 million in the ongoing scheme on Carpenterstown Road in Castleknock.Next weekend, Castlethorn will launch another tranche of homes which will each cost between £2,000 and £6,000 more.

Also in north Dublin, Hooke and MacDonald took bookings for 36 apartments still to be built off Griffith Avenue in Drumcondra. Ross McParland has also been busy over the past fortnight, selling 45 homes in the latest phase of the Woodstown Village scheme in Knocklyon and 48 houses in Gorey, Co Wexford.