getdoon_weebobby

£5 million contract I heard. Good to see firms like this doing well , creating jobs / work in what sometimes seems a land of InvestNI funded firms and government jobs...

What a pointless comment. Give me one good reason why my brother who just bought a semi detached house in Reading can view the history of sales with two clicks of a mouse and I could not do the same My guess would be something to do with the nice cosy relationship between VI's and politicians.......many of which have been exposed publically (Paisley/Robinson etc etc) and I am sure many more that have not....

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/penthouse-porsche-and-bank-accounts-seized-by-ara-28063831.html#ixzz23biAOede http://www.propertypal.com/-902-81-adelaide-street-belfast/229639#photo-2 The above penthouse was seized in 2007 and has since been empty. I have seen it asking 775k aswell as 2k per month to be rented. now 220k

The US will most certainly make a far better recovery than here.As VI notes they have allowed house prices to correct and bottom. Banking system has been reset. Unemployment continues to fall meanwhile manufacturing increases. Energy independence is on the horizon. Meanwhile here in NI we survive on an 11bn a year subsidy from an increasingly fragile looking UK.....

i think if your going for auction property avoid BTW as they get too much exposure and look at the other ones like BRG or the properties that go through in London auctions under the radar. Alternatively just go through agents where you have more time to get finance . i think a lot of the btw property is priced to go well higher than the guide price although i do think the south side studio flats are only worth guide price

Hi I was working in London in 2007 to 2009 and then for a couple of years in both London and Belfast and now exclusively in Belfast so have familiarly with both. I wish I had bought when prices briefly dipped till the end of 2008 as the money I would of made in London would of bought me a place in Befast!!! i was sure London would go down with the rest of the Uk but the drop was brief and prices now are waaaaay ahead of what they were (my target area was where I worked in Islington). London has been seen as a safe haven and shielded by the devaluation in the Pound

i tend to find the nicer the property the less off a % off RV it will be. My own house I bought last year was in a "prime" area and only 10% off RV. i can find lots of properties even in BT9 that are up tp 50% off RV and around 10% yield but they wouldnt be anything I would want to live in, the sort of thing you would buy to let.

http://cms.killercontent.net/media/BTWCairns/BTW%20Auction%20Bro.pdf Reminder the BTW auction is tomorrow (Friday) , anyone going ?! i was in seeing my solicitor getting some utility bills certified ans they said a) lots of sales going thru just now but at VERY LOW prices and lots of people seeing them this week about this particular auction. The likes of South Side Studios should go for around guide but some such as 50k house in Dromore are priced to generate hugh interest IMHO. http://www.brggibsonauctions.com/ Might go to this as its in the evening and never been to a property auction over here. Quite a lot of cheap properties and perhaps this auction gets less bidders than the well publicised BTW auction. March 19th. some ok properties in ok areas at 10%+ gross yields and guide prices around 50% off RV

The 1980s crash in England took approx 7 years to play out and the market in the USA peaked in 2005 and all the indicators would show it turned in 2012 so approx 7 years. I have always thought we would follow a similar time scale here and with prices peaking here in 2007 that would mean around 2014 ( next year) I bought a year ago in South Befast. I am now seeing ok properties (Repos for sale at auction and thru estate agents) in ok areas at 10%+ gross yields and 50% off RV my solicitor has told me this week hey are seeing a lot more sales but mainly Repos and all at very low prices Perhaps the very top of the market will continue to lag but certainly I could see the bottom and middle hitting the bottom shortly ( that is not to say it might not bottom for a while)There is a lot of uncertainty in the world (Pound hammered lately , Mark Carney looks likely to try more methods that will likely devalue the £ further as he is commited to QE and looking at other tools , the 2% target has already got the boot!)

12% yield at 50k / £500 a month . the last auction this time last year was a "success", average price was 32% over max reserve. the Portsteart properties went for I wonder if prices are higher as this is covered locally in press etc and your better to catch the properties in the smaller auctions/uk auctions (must be sold etc) http://namawinelake.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/belfast-property-auction-a-great-success/ ps allsops irish auction catalogue should be online tonight but not showing yet (southern ireland properties but still worth a l k)

that house is a bargain if thats your area part of a big auction being held by BTW Cairns/Shiells on March 8th in Belfast Some interesting stuff and low reserves. 4/5 apartments in South Side Studios. Quite a lot of BT9 stuff. http://cms.killercontent.net/media/BTWCairns/BTW%20Auction%20Bro.pdf

What is the current situation with building in the countryside? i am not too clued up on how the system currently works. this used to be a common topic when building was banned and sites in the middle of nowhere were 200k now that the market has collapsed, people cant finance sites and that its perhaps cheaper to buy than build i'm not surprised its not much of a topic of conversation! i would be interested in 2012/13 at looking at buying a site in Fermanagh while prices are depressed, preferably one where I could build something to my own spec rather than predetermined design. Also I would not want to actually build the property for about 4/5 years. any thoughts much appreciated

hi i have sent you a PM with the solicitor i used for my house purchase this year i found them very good and thorough and cheaper than the others i got quotes for i didnt just go by price but also how they impressed me with their initial replies would do no harm to email and ask for a price

mate i would just go for the 3 bed semi and eventually it will suit your needs rather than buying something small and needing to move again. keep an eye out for repos etc . no need to rush. winter will probably be a good time as people are fairly depressed! i bid on my place (repo) in S.Belfast during last winter and completed in Jan/Feb. Its bigger than what we need now but eventually i am sure it will get filled! oh and get out in belfast and enjoy yourself!

i see the polaris world 2 beds (jack nicholaus on the golf course etc etc) are down at £30-40k now http://www.polarisworld.info/condado-de-alhama.php?utm_source=October+2012+CAM+25%25&utm_campaign=October+CAM+25%25&utm_medium=email http://www.polarisworld.info/hacienda-riquelme.php

One week ago i had a gentleman from LPS visit (after about 7 months of waiting!). His plans that he had for the property were indeed a correct layout. The gentleman who visited was very nice and quickly said it was too big by around 10-20%. My house is in South Belfast and is one half of what was formerly a very large 19th Century detached house which was renovated and split into two 5 bed "semis". On 3 floors the top floor would of at some stage have been the attic and is now 2 bedrooms , toilet and storage. Basically they projected upwards and treated it like 3 full floors when much should not count due to the low ceiling heights . By their judgement much of the top floor does not count so it was more like 2.5 floors. I received a letter a couple of days later and basically my RV size and my RV value is down by 20%. Obviously the positives are a lower rates bill. The strange situation being I was fully aware of the old RV and old RV m2 when I bought the house at the end of last year and proceeded. Now with new RV and RV m2 I have gone from buying a house 10% under RV to a house 10% over RV..... I am left wondering if I was a bit silly and should of pressed this issue when bidding on the house? This was a repossession and the bank would perhaps of been looking at RV as guide to pricing the house Perhaps with the correct RV the bank would of been looking for a lower asking price?

RV £180,000.00 On for £85,000.00 http://www.propertynews.com/Property/Portstewart/PNC605025/1-Royal-Avenue/ Close to Portstewart Strand beach and golf course

dont think this has been mentioned http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/lough-erne-on-course-to-sell-for-knockdown-10m-16212931.html " The five-star Lough Erne Hotel and Golf Resort which went into administration last year is now on sale for £10m, around one third of the price it cost to build. Dubai-based hotel group Jumeirah, sponsor of Lough Erne Resort's former touring professional, golfer Rory McIlory, has been suggested as a possible interested party. The 120-bedroomed hotel has two championship golf courses, including one designed by golf star Sir Nick Faldo. The resort cost a reported £35m to build between 2005 and 2009, including the golf courses and 25 golf lodges. There are also 25 unfinished holiday homes with planning permission to build 18 more. Commercial property agents CBRE said they had been instructed to sell the resort as a going concern by the administrators of the resort's founding company Castle Hume Leisure, which was headed up by Jim Treacy. They said the venue would appeal to a "broad section" of the market - international groups, golf tourism promoters, hoteliers and entrepreneurial investors. Brian Lavery, head of CBRE's Belfast office, said: "There is an extensive list of interested parties and we will now be returning to them with full details." He said Lough Erne was the "most exciting and most high-profile" hotel to come onto the market in Northern Ireland. The administrators have had to resolve a web of issues over title to the golf course, which have drawn in owners of adjoining land. It's understood there were also discussions with the Rivers Agency, as some tees extend onto the lough. Michael Williamson, hotels consultant at accountants ASM, said it was difficult to say if £10m represented a good price: "It depends on the cash generation potential of the resort. "In some sense there is little point comparing costs on four-to-five years ago as the market has changed so much. "It will represent good value if a buyer can generate a level of profit that justifies the price." Chartered accountant Ken Kinsella, who works for private equity firm Gaia Equity in London and lives in Co Fermanagh, said: "I would like to see it stabilised because Jim Treacy had done so much work and had put an incredible team in place." Bank of Scotland (Ireland) appointed KPMG as administrators to Castle Hume Leisure in May last year over debts of £26.4m. In the meantime, it has been run by operators TifCo. Former owner Jim Treacy acquired Castle Hume Golf Course in 1999 and started work on the resort in 2005. The hotel opened in 2007 and the rest of the resort opened in late 2009. It also has conference and banqueting rooms for 400 people, five bar rooms or restaurants and a Thai Spa. "

http://www.auction.co.uk/residential/lotDetailsEmail.asp?A=765&RQ=SR&MP=25&ID=765000125&S=L&O=A&P=1 BT7 - 3 bed went for £46k RV = £100k (this is the price it was worth on 1st January 2005 when all property in N.Ireland was valued for rates purposes) 83m2 http://lpsni.gov.uk/vListDCV/propertydetails.asp?di=07&dn=Belfast+City+Council&wi=0000000062&wn=Ballynafeigh&si=0000006974&sn=Derlett+Street&display=170982&rn=12 seems something of a bargain at 46k rent for say ? 160£ a room a month so £480 just don't know if you would get finance. at a guess an "investor" would of paid cash and hoped to refinance later

So from £699k we have now ended up unsold at auction - available afterwards at 165k http://www.eigroup.co.uk/auctioneer-templates/LotDetails.aspx?LotID=661980&a=5&c=brn

VI thanks my house ; RICS - 136.00 Square Metres LPS - 227.00 Square Metres It feels more than 136m2 but certainly less than 227m2 Its a slightly complicated layout semi detached property ( it was a single detached property in a former life )

cheers for your assistance. i applied shortly and after moving in. moved in end of feb and applied in early march this year. to be honest if it gets so ridiculous that i get to a full year without a decision i would write to the LPS withholding my next Rates payment. but to be honest its good to know refunds are backdated as i was wondering...knowing that, I am not so worried about the time it takes. just seems ridiculous how long it takes!

**an update** march 2012 - i sent letter asking for rates revaluation march - receive letter saying they have my letter and will take 3 months to decide june - receive letter saying they will take a further 3 months to decide september - receive letter saying they will take a further 3 months to decide this week another letter stating that a further 3 months consideration is required. SO, that will be a total of 9 months. 1)Is there a maximum amount of time they can take to decide? and 2) If the value comes down will I be refunded extra I have paid since I applied for a revaluation (March 2012)

asking over a million "in the good times!" http://www.propertynews.com/Property/Belfast/GOCGOC2834/D10-Malone-Square/206181924/Page1 375k

SO , thats something like 4 billion needs to be found to cover Quinns AIB and Insurance loses.. Ireland could of hosted an Olympics for that amount !!