IN...BLACKROCK: Vibrant, villagey and seemingly offering the best in suburbia, Blackrock has many pluses and quite a few drawbacks, says Paul O'Doherty
AS SELF-SUFFICIENT as you can get in a Dublin suburb, Blackrock is somewhere you either love or hate. Close to the sea, connected, villagey and vibrant, it's got a cocky confidence that's as much in evidence, say, in the diversity of its pubs and restaurants - that attract a following from the surrounding less-exiting villages - or the quality of its schools, as in its popularity as a place to live.
But, on the downside, and aside from the Dart, getting there is a nightmare, particularly in the evening, on the short trek from the city, a chore that grinds along in low gears. And, while it's well-stocked with retail and department stores, there is the problem of its carpark-space treasure hunt, particularly at the weekend, epitomised by the slowdown in the restoration work at the Carnegie Free Library, at the expense of 19-odd curb-side parking spaces out front.
How's the market?
Generally, asking prices are down 25 per cent (and up to 30 per cent in places) with value down 10 per cent. Breslin and Co's Paul Breslin says: "We're back to November/December '05 prices and anyone who's not pitching at that level is wasting their time." While Savills HOK's Rowena Quinn says "it's tough, but there is some activity out there. Particularly among cash-buyers who see a certain amount of value at the moment. For the most part, consumer confidence is low."
Getting to the bricks, a well laid-out one-bed ground-floor apartment in a quite area not too far from everywhere, at Stradbrook Hill is €345,000, while for €450,000 (down from €495,000), in a cul-de-sac at Brooklawn Avenue there's a two-bed terraced house that's on the modest and attractive side of boring. Down from €695,000 to €650,000, and probably in need of further re-assessment, a first-floor two-bed apartment on Idrone Terrace is stylish and attractive overlooking the Dart and staring at Howth Head.
Going up a division, a three-bed 1930s semi at Clonkeen Road is down €35,000 after four weeks to €760,000, while a well proportioned semi-d dormer, again in a quiet cul-de-sac at Springhill Avenue, is on the market two-weeks at €735,000 but will listen to offers.
A little bigger and a little more famous, a well-lit four-bed semi on Maretimo Gardens East, is memorable from its Diarmuid Gavin low-maintenance makeover on the small screen, its DG-designed roof and side gardens an attractive contribution to the €1.275 million price.
A more quaint and traditional villa-style offering from the 1830s on Sydney Avenue and only needing modernisation with a secluded rear garden, is charming, if fanciful, at €1.6m.
And to rent?
According to Let's Move Properties' Doreen Mulholland: "It's not fantastic and rents have fallen but it's not as dire as some are saying. However, there is an oversupply and a fallback in quality. On the positive side, the good quality schools in the area are attracting people to live here, and not surprisingly, the three to four-bedroom market is doing very well."
A dinky second floor one-bed apartment at The Sycamores, Stradbrook Hill, a little outside the village, is looking for €1,000 a month, while for an extra €250 you can have two bedrooms on the main street, two minutes from the Dart. For €1,750 and a little more sophistication, there's a third-floor apartment, with two parking spaces and a large south-facing balcony at Les Buissonnets, Sweetmans Avenue, while a three-bed family house with rear garden, minutes from the village at Carysfort Park, seems better value at €1,800. And, for that something different, there's a newly-built six-bed home with modern fitted-kitchen, well-designed rooms and patio doors that lead to a small garden, available at €6,500, already down €500 on the asking price.
Going out?
Plenty of popular bars and restaurants like Tonic and Dali's, and it's quite accessible to the city via the Dart.
Price of a pint
€4.60 in Jack O'Rourke's.
Good for families?
There are full-time places at the Carbury Place Montessori at €892 a month. Children's storytime every Thursday at 3pm in the library. Awkward cross-town trip to the children's hospital. Primary school places available at Carysfort National School, for instance, but Blackrock College has a waiting list until 2020, an example of the difficulty in securing a place at secondary within the catchment area.
What's to do?
Blackrock Market is open Saturdays and Sundays, while Blackrock Park is very popular during the week. Plenty of sporting links and close to a variety of shopping opportunities.
Home to . . .
Blackrock College and Blackrock Clinic.
Locals say
"It's a village with real cultural diversity - it's not just about iPods and iMacs" (Louisa Cameron, Raven Books).
"It's pretty compact and it's by the sea" (Doug O'Dwyer)
"There's a massive problem with parking and it's affecting business" (Marion Hughes, Blackrook Flowers).
"It's not far enough from Dún Laoghaire" (Oh, I couldn't possibly give my name)
"The people are so nice around here and they wouldn't do you a bad turn" (Traffic warden writing a ticket for someone parked on double yellow lines).
