Any fears that the new homes sector might take a hit because of general uncertainties in the property market were well and truly dispelled when the new selling season got underway last weekend.
Manor Park Homes and Hamilton Osborne King scored a notable success with their newly launched Ongar Wood scheme near Clonee, selling no less than 61 homes over the weekend. By Monday evening, another eleven of them had been booked and the sales looked like continuing right through the week.
Interestingly, virtually all the homes were acquired by first time buyers who are now having a straight run on most of the new housing sites at prices which are not moving up. One-bedroom apartments at Ongar were competitively priced at £104,950, two-bed duplex units were sold at £129,950 and the three-storey four-bedroom houses also seemed good value at £179,950.
The strong sales could not have come at a better time for John Moran of Manor Park who is planning to build about 1,250 homes at Ongar over the next few years. He is also to turn the late Ali Khan's Georgian mansion on the estate into a smart new restaurant and to provide a range of shopping and community facilities.
The Ongar site has also been good for local boy Seamus Ross of Menolly Homes who sold an amazing 190 homes in his Ravenswood scheme during the traditionally quiet months of July and August. Brendan Byrne of the Ross McParland agency handled the sales.
The same agency's Bray office along with Sherry FitzGerald Myles Doyle sold 31 townhouses and apartments with a total value of £4.5 million ( €5, 713,821) at the Arklow Marina Village.
