Property Shows:East coast getaway destinations are fast becoming desirable pemanent addresses for Dubliners looking for dramatic lifestyle changes, according to the organisers of the Wexford/South Wicklow Property Show taking place this weekend.
Improved lifestyles and value for money are the big attraction for househunters relocating to Wexford and south Wicklow, according to Sherry FitzGerald, which is hosting the property show in the Stillorgan Park Hotel on Saturday afternoon.
Over 400 properties from five Sherry FitzGerald branches in the southeast will be showcased at the event, now in its fifth year.
Most Dubliners moving to Wexford are moving permanently and have made a "conscious decision to change their lifestyles", according to Adrian Haythornthwaite from Sherry FitzGerald Haythornthwaite.
Average house prices in Wexford are much lower than in Dublin, he says. Number 9 Laurel Grove in the village of Tagoat, Co Wexford is a case in point. The four-bedroom house with a very smart interior has a price tag of €360,000.
A two-bedroom mid-terrace starter home in the Oak Park development in Ballymurn village costs around €190,000, while a large upmarket family home in Wexford town costs around €475,000.
However it is not the prices that make people move, it's the lifestyle - the price differential is a nice bonus, according to Mr Haythornthwaite.
Typically, the lifestyle movers are people in the 40-plus age bracket who are "fed up spending time on the M50", he says.
Twenty-five years ago the country town scene was dull, but now towns like Wexford are vibrant and have lots to offer, says Haythornthwaite.
Further up the coast in Gorey, Jim Kinsella says that 50 per cent of his purchasers are from Dublin who commute to the city. They want rural life with proximity to big city action, he says. A good sized four-bedroom house in Gorey will cost €450,000.
Enniscorthy still attracts commuters but the majority of buyers are retired or semi-retired people cashing in on their Dublin properties and looking for a slice of rural life.
People are selling up their Dublin homes for €800,000 upwards and purchasing one-off houses usually east of the N11, according to Michael O'Leary of Sherry FitzGerald O'Leary. Large bungalows there cost from €330,000-€400,000.
A lot of Dubliners have been coming to Wexford for many years, know it like the back of their hand and have lots of friends here, he says.
Even as far south as New Ross, a traditional holiday home destination, Dubliners are making a permanent move for lifestyle reasons.
This trend started two years ago, according to John Radford of Sherry FitzGerald Radford. A large detached four-bedroom home in New Ross will cost €310,000 and starter homes €225,000.
