Best Places to live in Ireland outside of Dublin

Many people dream of living in Ireland: with its gorgeous countryside views and culture-rich cities, there’s not much to dislike. The biggest and most famous city in the country is the capital city of Dublin, famous for its pubs, diverse community, and unique culture. However, Dublin is also by far the most expensive place to live in Ireland. If you’re looking to move to the Emerald Isle and would like to save some money while doing so, here are some great areas outside of the capital to consider.

Galway

Located on the River Corrib next to the Atlantic Ocean, anyone who visits Galway will fall in love with it. Considered the cultural center of Ireland, this coastal town has a lot to offer at a fraction of the price of living in Dublin. Rental prices are 50-80 percent cheaper than in Dublin, and Galway still has a lot to offer culturally, with festivals throughout the year and many culinary options. In fact, Galway is so culturally rich that it was named the European capital of culture in …

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Brexit and Help-to-Buy Scheme Provide Uncertainty

Boris Johnson has recently been elected Prime Minister and uncertainties surrounding Brexit are back on the minds of Irish people. The likelihood of there being a no-deal Brexit is strong and the Irish housing market needs to be ready for the consequences. Also, the uncertainty surrounding whether the help-to-buy scheme will be continued or not will have a strong effect on the housing market. The Irish housing market for the rest of this year will depend strongly on the outcomes of the two events listed above.

Lisney published a report recently focusing on the upward trend in the Cork house and construction sectors. Lisney cited Brexit and help-to-buy scheme as two possibilities that may negatively affect the Cork market. Lisney investigated 41 new home schemes being constructed in the Cork area which totals 2,640 units. The help-to-buy scheme is what’s keeping first time buyers able to purchase a home and if this is taken away the number of people seeking homes will decrease. New home sales contribute to approximately 15% of sales in Cork over the last couple of quarters …

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Rent prices pierce ceiling

Rent prices, something that seems to always be steadily increasing. In 2016, the Irish government began to take note of a fast moving, upward trend in certain zones and put a price ceiling on rent prices in an effort to regulate these changes. Areas that have a high likelihood to increase rent, specifically because of location and competition, are called Rent Pressure Zones (RPZ). 

These zones are primarily located in the larger cities, such as Dublin, Galway or Cork and have specifications that help to protect renters from exorbitant hikes in monthly prices. Any property within a Rent Pressure Zone are legally not allowed to increase their prices by more than 4pc each year. 

This ceiling in rent increases are intended to create a more affordable market for landlords and tenants so that they can have a good idea of how prices could rise; this is ideal for planning housing opportunities and finances in the future. This program worked for the most part, with many tenants seeing an increase of between 2.4 and 3pc a year from 2016 to 2018. 

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