Dublin sellers who have put their homes up for auction will continue to have a nail-biting time this month as "gures show that of 96 houses on the market in the "rst week of October, only nine sold under the hammer, while 66 were withdrawn.

The Davy Stockbrokers report this week has also con"rmed what has been suspected since the beginning of the auction season . . . a signi"cant hiccup in market con"dence.

The most obvious reason is the glut of property for sale . . . a combination of auction withdrawals over the summer combined with 25% of properties fresh to the market owned by those who hope to see the hugely in"ated prices of early spring. For buyers, the bene"t of much more choice is counterbalanced by the prospect of two imminent hikes in interest rates plus a 'will-they-won't-they' hope that stamp duty rates might be reduced in December's budget. While Dublin auctions may only constitute 1% of all Irish property transactions, says the Davy report, what happens in the auction rooms is a key indicator of con"dence and trends overall.

Estate agents who may have encouraged over-expectation in prices for their clients may well worry that their autumn stock will have to carry over until spring 2007. An interesting few months lie ahead for everyone in the market.

NEW OCEANICO GOLF AND RESIDENTIAL SCHEME ON PORTUGAL'S 'SILVER COAST'

Oceanico Developments, the leading Irish developer of property in Portugal, earlier this week announced a major new investment valued at approximately 250m and located near Obidos, a picturesque medieval town on Portugal's Silver Coast.

The new project will see Oceanico Developments, along with its Portuguese joint venture partner MSF, complete a range of four- and "ve-star properties and a championship golf course designed by Seve Ballesteros near Obidos, including apartments, villas and a luxury condominium hotel. The developments are to be launched on a phased basis commencing in the second quarter of 2007.

CONCRETE INDUSTRY APPEALS FOR SAFEGUARDS ON RAW MATERIALS

The Irish Concrete Federation (ICF) has called upon the government to develop a National Aggregates Plan for the identi"cation, mapping and safeguarding of legitimate reserves of raw materials used by the construction industry.

According to the ICF, Ireland is one of the few European countries with no national policy in place to identify, acquire and protect vital raw materials such as rock, gravel and sand essential for the country's construction, housing and infrastructure development needs.

"To date, only four counties, Meath, Wicklow, Cavan and Donegal, have completed a mapping programme for aggregates, " according to ICF president Declan McCartney.

RTE CORK CALLING FOR HOME MAKEOVER PROJECTS FOR TELEVISION If you're about to embark on a dream home project, be it the humblest cottage or the grandest mansion, using period "ttings, furniture or decoration, and don't mind going on television to talk about it, RTE Cork would love to hear from you.

The station is making a series of programmes about architectural salvage and restoration, looking at all sorts of houses and discussing the trials and tribulations of historic makeovers.

For further information contact Peter Carr on 021-4805805