No 31 Windsor Road in Rathmines, which we featured on our front cover a few weeks ago, and which had been given a makeover by home staging professionals, achieved over the asking price when it was sold after auction on Thursday.

AUCTION RESULTS Dublin 6 No 24 Rathdown Park, Terenure Six-bed 297sq m Stringer-built detached property on over half acre AMV: 3.5m. Sold under hammer for 3.68m. Agent: Douglas Newman Good No 31 Windsor Road, Rathmines Four-bed redbrick Victorian residence AMV: 1.9m Withdrawn. Sold after for 2.25m. Agent: Douglas Newman Good Dublin 14 No 17 Rathfarnham Park, Rathfarnham Detached property with planning permission to substantially alter its size to 300sq m Withdrawn. Agent: Douglas Newman Good No 68 Woodlawn Park, Churchtown Five-bed detached 3,050sq ft residence AMV: 2.2m. Sold under hammer for 2.25m. Agent: Douglas Newman Good.

Country Tonroe Upper, Kilfian, Killala, Co Mayo 18-acre site with three-bed bungalow and derelict cottage.

Withdrawn at 350,000. Sold afterwards for higher. Agent: DNG Michael Boland Commercial Sundrive Park, Crumlin, Dulbin 12 Site with permission for 10 residential units. Sold under hammer for over 2m. Agent:

Douglas Newman Good PRIVATE TREATY Apt 22 Cruagh Green, Stepaside, Co Dublin Two-bed first floor apartment. Sold in region of 395,000. Agent: Lisney Tapton, No 33 Wasdale Park, Terenure, Dublin 6 1930 detached family home. Sold in region 1.85m. Agent: Lisney Sarsfield Court, Glanmire, Cork Six-bed detached dormer style bungalow. Sold region 635,000.

Agent: Lisney No 11 Clanwilliam court, Mount Street, Dublin 2 One-bed apartment. Sold region 430,000. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald No 40 Court Apartments, Wilton Place, Dublin 2 Two-bed apartment. Sold region 560,000. Agent: Sherry FitzGerald No 13 Waterloo Road, Dublin 4 Six-bed property. Sold region 2.4m.

Agent: Sherry FitzGerald INFORMED BLINGING IT UP AT BELMAYNE While the second hand homes market seems to be going at a snail's pace, the new homes market is anything but slow, if last Monday's launch party of new apartments at Belmayne (from just 275,000) was anything to go by. The uber glitzy champagne and cocktail affair was attended by Louise and Jamie Redknapp and all the property set. There were fireeaters, posh cars, posh frocks and posh food.

Elsewhere on the new homes front, joint agents Hooke and MacDonald and GPK properties recorded 103 sales at Herberton, St James's Walk, Dublin 8, in the first four days of launching. Owenass Developments enjoyed an equally spectacular launch of its luxury homes at Bellingham in Portlaoise. Only 20 units now remain at the 180-unit scheme.

STAMPING ON OUR DREAMS This week the issue of stamp duty continues to grip the market. A one-bed apartment at No 33 Shandon Mills along the banks of the Royal Canal, Phibsborough, Dublin 7, has come on the market through Savills HOK, aimed at the first-time buyers' sector. The asking price of 317,500 means it just falls under the current stamp duty band.

Elsewhere, reductions in price acknowledge the reticence among buyers to fork out on the controversial tax . . . one Co Kildare property arriving on our desk this week is being marketed at 680,00 with "the vendor willing to absorb stamp duty for a quick sale".

INDIA'S A GOA Could India be the new Spain for Irish buyers?

Larionovo, overseas investments specialists, sold 280 units in India to Irish buyers in just seven days. Though with prices as low as 24,500 it's no wonder they were snapped up so quickly.