LONG before you find your new property, you will have to debunk the junk from your old home. www. jumbletown. ie is a large marketplace for anyone looking to give away and/or acquire literally thousands of useful items free!

It's made up of a diverse community of individuals, businesses, schools and organisations, all of whom are known as Givers and/or Takers (distinct form Movers and Shakers, but it happily rhymes).

The site claims that apart from "helping you to free up space in your home/business and/or acquire useful items, JumbleTown helps you do your bit to protect Ireland's environment". Here you can give away or receive thousands of items from sofas to sinks to your heart's content.

Invariably there are exceptions, even in the open-minded market place of JumbleTown. Live animals, fireworks and pesticides, are among the products deemed objectionable.

Love thy neighbour

If any of the Ten Commandments hold true, 'love thy neighbour' is even possible in the murky depths of non-biblical cyberspace. www. neighbours. ie was set up to help neighbours communicate with each other and build a better community spirit within districts. It now has 7,000 members and over 500 neighbourhoods signed up, mostly in and around Dublin. It's especially useful for apartment block folk who may be cut off from traditional neighbour offerings. Management companies beware!

Soul searching

Online property searches can quickly lead to a type of enthusiastic insanity covering too many hours of your day. It helps to find sites that are speedy and simple to navigate. Sites like www. funda. ie are straightforward . . . its basic tenet is a "where abouts" and "how much have you got to spend" . . . with little else, which means you don't get distracted with soul sapping supplementary information.

The less is best principle works well here. Other straightforward sites with basic property search information include: www. property. ie, www. propertypartners. ie and www. propertyfile. net which includes advice on selling your home, finding a solicitor, planning permission and much more. www. propertyireland. net is an independent collection of 30 or more auctioneers throughout Ireland combining their house selling forces.

Another good site for the increasingly endangered species known colloquially as 'first time buyer' is www.firsthome. ie. It offers a good assortment of property news, mortgage advice as well as a first time buyer's forum.

Where there is a will there is a niche, and with so many property sites now up and running in competition, the notion of specialising is becoming more apparent.

www. sherlockhomes. ie is the only specialist website of its kind in Ireland, north or south that exclusively promotes residential new homes for sale. Another handy niche site, that's useful if you're moving house is www. newaddress. ie. After you register it will notify utility companies - electricity and gas . . . as well your phone company, insurance, shop loyalty cards, charities, government offices, etc of your change of address.

Myths and legends

www. irishpropertymarket. com is a jumble of info, some sections more relevant than others. It includes useful tidings on mortgages, snag lists, hidden costs etc, in the house buying process, as well as property by county, offshore property, agent websites and insights for first time buyers.

There is also a supplementary 'right column click' option leading to 'Myths and Legends' of Ireland, where curiously among others taoiseach Bertie Ahern is listed in a cyber-slice beneath Queen Meadbh, Cuchulainn (who destroyed all who came before him) and the quest to find the perfect Ireland in a land called Tir na nOg, land of never ending youth. Bertie's achievements are listed as: Good Friday Agreement and the 'Celtic Tiger' economy.

Sell yourself online!

You can sell your property online with www. sellityourself. ie for a one time cost of just 195 and save thousands on commission fees.

You can determine your own asking price and list your property for up to 12 months or until it has been sold or until you wish to withdraw it from the market.

This site has attracted a plethora of media interest in recent times which is well documented and worth a look. www. privatesellers. ie is another variation of the same theme.

Fees to please

If you happen to belong to a credit union, www. homebuyhomesell. ie offers a quality conveyancing service to members who are buying or selling a house.

An amiable bunch of 32 solicitors' practices within its network provide a professional service at a very competitive price.

Conveyancing is offered for 999 plus VAT plus the outlay on the likes of stamp duty.

Likewise, www. moving. ie/conveyancing has access to solicitors that charge a flat fee of 895 (+ vat + outlay) whether the house cost you two hundred thousand euros or a million!

Another portal for low estate agent fees is www. websellers. ie who claim they will sell your property for a fraction of the fee charged by many competitors. 'Take advantage of fees from as low as 0.3% depending on the value of your property'.

www. primafinance. ie offers legal fees of only 496 plus VAT, for property buyers securing their mortgage through them, but maintains that buyers can save up to 2,000 on standard fees.

www. askaboutmoney. com is also a much-loved monetary advice portal.

Independent advice on mortgages is available from www. ifsra. ie, the website of the Irish Financial Services Regulator.

Lastly, if your spirit is not totally drowned out by web waves, a practical general portal that lists all relevant websites in your category of choice (including property) is: www. gimmedat. ie it lists the full complement of over 36 Irish-related property sites.

ESSENTIAL PROPERTY VIEWING

For second hand homes, new homes, commercial properties, overseas properties and property advice, the following are a must click

www. colliersjs. com

www. daft. ie

www. dng. ie

www. felicityfox. ie

www. ganlywalters. ie

www. gunne. ie

www. hookemacdonald. ie

www. lisney. com

www. myhome. ie

www. savills. ie

www. sherryfitz. ie