Posts by Laura
Opportunities hiding in plain sight
The level of derelict, unused and underused buildings in Ireland has been an issue of commentary and criticism for many years. Under the now defunct Rebuilding Ireland plan, utilisation of existing stock was one of the five pillars upon which that strategy was pinned. Several well-targeted incentives and initiatives were put in place, however, none resulted in…
Read MoreQuarterly housing check-in, as investors check-out
It has been another busy week for the industry with the release of the first Housing for All quarterly update – which we were promised, but perhaps didn’t expect to see this soon. This will be a useful ongoing policy check-in, one that has been missing from housing delivery in the past. According to the update, 10…
Read MoreHousing Supply May Need to be Looked at in Broader Terms
Budget Day came and went, there were no meaningful surprises – which ought to be considered a ‘win’. Most importantly, the Government reaffirmed its commitment to housing supply, as pledged through Housing for All. This might sound like a simple thing, but in practice, it has taken some political bravery to do this. More of this please.…
Read MoreThe Business of Property
Focus is the mantra for busy business leaders, and it is a worthy mantra. It is also a reminder for us to ‘stay in our lane’, to focus on service for our clients, and not to get distracted by new, potentially-unrealisable opportunities – or not to get distracted by what Winston Churchill referred to as “barking…
Read More‘Housing for All’ requires delivery by all
Housing economists have their work cut out for them right now. Property consumers are not behaving as expected, and this poses certain problems when it comes to forecasting market trends. The most recently issued property price report from REA estate agents shows some interesting shifts that were speculated about, but not entirely predicted; namely, Cahir…
Read MoreWhat you see depends on where you stand
Perspective is a funny thing, unique to each of us. It depends on where we are and where we have come from. It’s a bit like viewing or experiencing installation art; what you see depends on where you stand and if you want to see the whole ‘event’ from another perspective, you must move your position.. Through…
Read MoreStarting from where we are
As Ireland’s proposed housing stock increases – 312,000 new homes promised by 2030 under Housing for All – the stock of available housing is at an historic low, for both sales and rentals. This chronic and persistent shortage has led to the highest inflation rate in three years, with average property prices up 1.7 percent…
Read MorePlans don’t build houses, the industry does
The last week has been a housing retrospective for Ireland’s construction and property industries; unfortunately, nothing particularly illuminating has emerged. The media commentary on the Government’s latest housing strategy is currently running at peak unhelpfulness and we have no intention of piling on. But there is an important issue that needs to be clarified. The…
Read MoreHousing for All: All challenging, all doable … But by whom?
This email is coming to you later than usual as, like most people in the industry, we have been listening with interest to the launch of the Government’s latest “unprecedented” housing plan to address Ireland’s housing crisis. ‘Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland’ was officially launched by the Taoiseach, Michéal Martin TD; the…
Read More‘Housing or All’ or Rebuilding Ireland 2.0?
Reducing residentially-zoned land was always going to be controversial. As to whether or not this bold move will alleviate Ireland’s crisis, there are polarising opinions on this. A recent article in the Irish Independent by the Chief Economist at Davy, Conall Mac Coille, calls for CO2 emissions-based taxes for the industry rather than dezoning of…
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