Henrietta McKervey and family are selling their refurbished townhouse a short walk from St Stephen's Green for something with a bit more space but not too from the city
In a stronger market, a period townhouse close to St Stephen's Green, Dublin, would have been snapped up within days of the sign going up. Number 23 Lauderdale Terrace, New Row South, Dublin 8, has attracted plenty of admirers since it went up for sale last autumn.
A steady stream of viewers has ooh-ed and ah-ed their way around the cute restored two-bedroom redbrick but no serious offers have emerged, says copywriter Henrietta McKervey, who bought the house with husband Feargal Fitzpatrick in 2001. The arrival of baby Cal about a year ago prompted the idea of upgrading.
"Now that there are three of us we need a bit more space and it feels like time to move on. We'd prefer an old house in D6 or D8. A fixer-upper would be okay. We'd like about 1,100 to 1,200sq ft and a garden. We have a lovely big garden now, so we're used to having that outdoor space," says Henrietta.
"The house was affordable when we bought it, though it needed a lot of work, which we did over four months before moving in. It's big - over 950sq ft - with loads of character. It had been in one family's hands since it was built in the 1890s, so pretty much all the original features were intact. Being able to walk into work and into town was a big plus and feels like a luxury in Dublin these days. We'll miss that!
"One thing that surprised me was how settled the street is, and how friendly, for a house so close to the city centre. We asked around and got good word-of-mouth recommendations for Felicity Fox. We'd also been to see a few houses they were acting for over the previous six months, while we were deciding whether to sell or not and were impressed. The agent recommended we go for a private treaty sale and suggested the asking price .
"We've done our sums and have a budget we have to stick to, or that's the plan at least! The revised stamp duty does change things. For a start, it's done away with the 'magic' threshold of €635,000. When the market slowed towards the end of last year, a friend said that no-one wants to be 'the last sap in Ireland who paid stamp duty'. Now the uncertainty has gone, things might start to move."
