ADAMSTOWN

THE first primary school has just opened, the train station, which is just a 20-minute ride to Heuston Station, has been running since April, the creche will be welcoming the small fry by December and the signs are that the 'new town' experiment of houses and apartments that is Adamstown, west Dublin, is something of a success.

Getting the amenities delivered on time is compulsory of course, because according to the Strategic Development Zone guidelines laid down, Dublin City Council will not permit further development of the town unless those facilities such as shops and cafes, stick to their completion deadlines. By 2017, it's expected that Adamstown (Finnstown, near Lucan) will be complete with up to 25,000 people living in over 10,000 new homes. Average prices for the initial launch two years ago were around 335,000 to 350,000 for a three-bed terrace with small garden. In the current climate of prices drops, selling prices haven't dipped significantly, although four-bed semis have been reduced by 45,000. Two bed-townhouses, by contrast, have risen in price due to their popularity. It's the whole package here that young homeowners are buying into.

"The key difference with this development is that the social infrastructure has been created in tandem with the properties being built, " says Shane Daly of Gunne New Homes. "Those deadlines for the mix of transport, education and social facilities are being met. This makes Adamstown attractive not only to those with small families and first-time buyers, but also older buyers too who may want to be in close proximity to children and grandchildren living in the area. The lifestyle aspect can't be underestimated either . . . with a 72-acre site, nearly a third of that will be parkland with plenty of playgrounds and green spaces generally."

The latest phase at Adamstown Square launched on 22 September, offering buyers a range of two-bed apartments, three-bed duplexes as well as three and four-bed duplexes.

BEST FOR LIFESTYLE CHANGE

KNOWN as Ireland's 'Gold coast', West Cork continues to fulfil the dream lifestyle for the organic foodie set seeking period farmhouses and maybe even a home and income opportunity while they're at it.

If you want a quiet life, this is ideal place . . . and that's how the locals like it. While the population is a sizeable 60,000 or so, the area is quite large with pretty fishing villages dotted along its coastline, which stretches from Cork Harbour to the Kerry side of the Beara Peninsula.

The scenery and the comforts of local rural life have attracted a diverse section of musicians and artists to the area for years . . . not to mention a few celebs . . . and in many of the towns you will find a good selection of galleries and craft shops. Of the towns that make up this scenic rural idyll, the most popular with tourists and those seeking a lifestyle change are Baltimore, Castletownshend, Clonakilty, Glandore and Skibbereen.

Glandore is a favourite haunt for celebrities.

WEST CORK

Up until last year, the number-crunching presenter of Countdown, Carole Vorderman (pictured) lived in the area, in Bar na Don, a waterfront retreat right on the harbour.

The capital of West Cork, Skibbereen is the region's real social hub with 26 pubs in the town and award-winning restaurants scattered all around.

Clonakilty is just as popular, and just as pretty and always scores high in Ireland's 'Tidy Towns'.

Property prices in the region have been pretty stable, despite the market slowdown, neither rising nor dropping significantly, says selling agent Henry O'Leary of Property Partners Clonakilty office.

"UK buyers are back in the market again now that they are no longer competing with significant numbers of Dublin investors who had been snapping up properties in previous years. The lifestyle appeal is still strong and now that there is good broadband access and mobile reception, we are finding that buyers have the best of both worlds . . . working from home while enjoying the more laid back lifestyle."

As with any coastal location, buyers will pay a premium for a sea view, but if they house hunt further inland, there are properties priced from the 400,000 mark upwards.

"No matter what someone is selling in Dublin, they will still find a property in Cork to suit their budget, and their dreams, " assures O'Leary.

An example at the upper end of the market is a fourbed, traditional house with approx 300m of harbour frontage and its own mooring at Castletownshend harbour guiding 1.1m.

GOREY

THE'sunny south-east' makes all sorts of claims aside from more hours of sunshine than anywhere else in the country and never being more than five minutes away from a decent beach; selling agents claim towns such as Gorey are now easily commutable to Dublin.

This north Wexford spot was considered Ireland's fastest growing town a couple of years back, a lot of that due to affordability for the hordes of young buyers squeezed out of the spiraling Dublin market.

While the improvement to road infrastructure has definitely made commuting times much shorter, it's the more relaxed pace of life that attracts people looking for a country retreat but with good shops and restaurants.

"The M50 has proven to be the best recruitment agency for people coming to live in Wexford. People moving here want a quality of life that doesn't involve a relationship with a steering wheel, " says Adrian Haythornthwaite from the local Sherry FitzGerald branch. "We have it all here, but without the hassle of the city. The beach that goes on for 16 miles uninterrupted begins at Wexford Harbour.

"And then there is the Opera Festival every year."

The sort of value available is detached properties with gardens and garages, within walking distance of Wexford town centre, from 315,000.

BEST FOR BUY-T0-LET

NEWBRIDGE LOCATED just 10km from Naas and a short drive from the M7, the once quiet country town of Newbridge is now a buzzing, lively town, and the second-largest in Kildare with a growing population well in excess of 22,000, strong employment, good infrastructure and several new housing schemes, making it one of the new hotspots in the buy-to-let market.

Proximity to Dublin, about 36km away, coupled with the fact that the town is served by train also adds to the popularity of Newbridge as a rental location.

"Newbridge is thriving at the moment and has a healthy local economy of its own, " says John Kelly of Kelly Hudson Properties. "There is massive employment in the area which mainly comes from the Togher Business Park, Whitewater Shopping Centre, Curragh Camp, Curragh racecourse, along with all the other businesses, " says Kelly, adding that the rental market in Newbridge has never been so strong.

Other major employers include Oral B, Wyeth Medica, and Bord Na Mona.

"Because we have so much employment here, there are a lot of foreign workers all in need of good quality rental accommodation, " explains Kelly, who says that three-bed houses in and around Newbridge rent for 1,200 per month.

"We operate a letting service and the phone is hopping.

It usually takes only a day or two to rent out a property once it goes on the market."

According to Kelly, the strongest demand is for houses, particularly three-beds.

"Young families prefer to have a house and garden, and the houses are also popular with single people who opt for housesharing. There's good value in the second-hand market where you would get a good three-bed semi in Newbridge for between 310,000 and 330,000."

The area's biggest asset is its transport links. The M7 motorway bypasses the town;

the R445 connects the town to the bypass; and trains run from Newbridge railway station to Dublin.

Although Newbridge has few claims to national fame, musician Christy Moore (pictured) was born here, so too was scientist Kathleen Lonsdale, while rugby international Geordan Murphy grew up in nearby Naas.

BEST FOR FIRST-TIME BUYERS

SANDYFORD

ON Dublin's south side, it's probably little surprise that Sandyford is a favourite with first-time buyers . . . especially young professionals looking to live in a hip, trendy lifestyle location, right on the Luas line close to the city centre.

Once regarded as a commercial centre, it has now practically transformed into a new 'town centre' with a more mixed programme of development. When all building work has finished at Sandyford, a rough estimate suggests that there will be a total of 6,078 residential units, 306 new hotel rooms and 341,140sq m of office space.

"The whole area is being developed in a wholly integrated way, with great retail outlets, childrens' areas, hotels, and boulevards with cafes and boutiques, " says Ken MacDonald of Hooke and MacDonald.

As well as being commuterfriendly, the Sandyford area has been revitalised in recent years with the development of Beacon Court, and Beacon South Quarter.

Among the fashionable retail shops that have opened recently is the chic French interiors outlet Roche-Bobois, while the latest in 21st-century leisure facilities is the interactive childrens' museum, Imaginosity.

In terms of new developments at Sandyford, ones to watch out for this autumn include the Rockbrook development which will be quite spectacular, says MacDonald. "It offers a great selection of apartments over a ground floor retail area with speciality shops and cafes.

"The development is right opposite the Luas station, and many of the properties have views towards Dublin Bay."

Prices range from 480,000 for a two-bed to 625,000 for a three-bed.

Another one to watch is Vantage, developed by Lalco.

Situated by the Luas station at in Leopardstown. Currently sold out, a further phase is coming on stream late autumn.

As for second-hand homes, buyers here can expect to pay anywhere from 475,000 to 500,000 for a two-bed apartment, from 600,000 to 800,000 for a three-bed semi townhouse and from 1mplus for a four-bed semidetached family home . . . somewhat out of the range of first-time buyers.

As for the best areas to live in Sandyford, Sandyford Road, Hillcrest Road, Kilgobbin Road and Balally come out on top, though first-timers tend to go for the more affordable apartments in Beacon Court and South Quarter.

BEST FOR VALUE

DONEGAL DONEGAL is not only one of the best kept secrets in the country for property value . . . it's one of the best in Europe, says selling agent Paul Franklin. "For 400,000 to 500,000 most people will be able to buy the house they want. There's also tremendous commercial potential around Letterkenny. People could sell their 800,000 plus house in Dublin, buy here and also have enough surplus to start a business." The airport in Derry, set to expand its destinations, is within a 40-minute drive from Letterkenny; Belfast International Airport is just over two hours drive away.

The quality of development and design of new homes has become a lot better of late, with less 'ribbon' development, but Donegal is still experiencing the situation Dubliners are getting used to . . . there are more houses for sale than there are buyers.

However, across the border in Northern Ireland, prices have peaked and buyers in Derry and beyond are increasingly spotting the excellent value in their neighbouring county.

For anyone seeking to get a foot on the ladder, a four-bed detached house somewhere such as Ballybofey costs from as little as 200,000. Donegal has a good stock of period country homes, and newly built, but authentic looking, 'rectory' style houses, with huge gardens, and often priced around the 450,000 mark. Many of these properties come with generously sized sites: Sherry FitzGerald McGowan currently has a new 2,000sq ft property on an acre site, priced at just 315,000.

BEST FOR COMMUTERS

LAYTOWN PRICES in the commuter counties of Louth, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow have dropped by 4.2% over the first seven months of this year according to figures from Permanent tsb/ESRI.

Part of the problem is that word 'commuting', as the capital is where the jobs are, but travel times only seem to get longer. It's a dilemma particularly for the Dublin workers priced out the market in their home town.

The upside is that there is more affordability the farther you travel away from the capital. There is a broad choice of property for sale and canny buyers will look for those growing towns with either good access to the motorway, or, possibly less stressful, a regular rail service to Dublin.

It's not unusual for Dublin workers living in the commuter belt to have three hours or more taken out of their day travelling by car to and from the city, so it stands to reason that buying close to a rail network in particular is going to ease the stress.

The small seaside town of Laytown, Co Meath is a good buy for the Dublin commuter as it has a regular train service to the capital, morning and early evening (every 15 minutes at peak rush hour, 20 to 30 minutes other times), and offers good value in new, and nearly new homes.

According to Mary Halligan of the Drogheda office of Gunne Residential, affordability is key with the attraction of somewhere like Laytown.

"Rentals have gone through the roof, yet you can buy a good-sized home with a decent garden for around the 310,000 to 317,000 mark . . . in Dublin you would be lucky to get a one-bed apartment for that figure.

To be honest, most of my sales in the past year have been to Dublin buyers."

What gives Laytown, and also nearby Bettystown, the edge, is the beach and also leisure amenities such as golf. Drogheda in nearby Co Louth, also has regular trains (including the Belfast -Dublin Enterprise express) and great shopping at the Scotch Hall retail development along with affordability in property.