From touchy feely BBQ nights to offers of free mortgages, developers are pulling out the stops to get their share of the market.

Once the offer to include kitchen appliances or a free shower door was enough to lure buyers off the fence to apartment schemes. Now, in response to a slower market, developers have had to up their game and are now offering higher spec fit outs and "lifestyle packages" as they adjust to a more realistic and competitive market.

They have become "very customer focused" and are offering improved finish and fit-out, says Eoin Reilly of Gunne New Homes. Slick contemporary kitchens, stylish wardrobes and very high quality bathroom and kitchen tiling are now standard in today's more competitive apartment market.

Marble or granite, once the preserve of more upmarket schemes, are fast becoming the norm for kitchen worktops in apartment schemes. More and more developers are offering recessed lighting and bathroom extras, such as built-in heated mirrors and towel rails, are becoming more commonplace.

Flooring, not just in bathrooms and kitchens, but throughout apartments is a new perk being offered at some apartment schemes as are tiled kitchens, semi-solid wooden floors in living areas and carpets in bedrooms.

Better finishes and fit-out are not the only result of the slower market. Some developers have come up with some pretty inventive incentives in an attempt to get the edge on rival developments.

This weekend sees the release of 120 homes by Menolly Homes at Sweetman House in Myrtle and Red Arches, all part of The Coast development at the former racecourse in Baldoyle, Dublin 13.

The houses come with a full flooring and furniture fit-out, which is being provided by At Home with Clearys; everything is included from blinds to coffee tables to bathroom accessories. The value of the package ranges from €8,500 to €22,000. The purchaser organises the fit-out and delivery with Clearys, and Menolly Homes will look after the invoice, explains Yvonne Ennis from Sherry Fitzgerald New Homes.

Prices at Sweetman House, which is for sale off plans, start at €275,000 for one-bedroom apartments. One-bedroom apartments at Red Arches are from €300,000. In addition the developer has also teamed up Mortgage Express and PTSB to offer the Sure Start home loan which caps the mortgage at 4 per cent for the first two years of their mortgage.

Pierse Homes offered a similar mortgage package at its Marrsfield development in Clongriffin, Dublin 13 earlier this year.

Even more dramatic was the offer of free childcare at Kings Court in Castlepollard, Co Westmeath. The scheme hit the headlines earlier this year when all potential buyers, including people buying apartments, were offered the sweetener of a new Fiat Punto Grand, free childcare for two years or a turnkey furniture package worth €15,000.

Interestingly so far all the buyers of the apartments, which are priced from €198,950, have opted for the furniture package instead of the car, according to Elmer Kerr from Connect 2, which marketed the scheme.

The company will also shortly be handling the sale of an 80-unit apartment scheme in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal. Apartments at the Waterfront scheme will be sold with a full-turnkey package fully furnished to a four-star standard, according to Mr Kerr. Prices will start at €225,000 for 79sq m (850sq ft) two-bedroom apartments.

In a market where supply exceeds demand buyers are demanding value for money, according to Mr Kerr. "They don't want MDF kitchens. They want a solid oak kitchen, possibly hand-painted, with granite wortkops. They want vogue sanitary wear and superb tiling."

All-in packages and top quality finish is what the punters are after, he says. "Developers are now settling for less profit and passing the quality on." Perhaps the most inventive to date was the offer of a free six-month mortgage at the start of the year from Twinlite, the developer behind Tyrrelstown in north-west Dublin.

In addition, on-site mortgage brokers at the scheme were also offering to pay the bank valuation costs and mortgage protection cover for a full year, for all mortgages arranged through them.

The advice is, if packages are not on offer, don't be shy to ask.