Woman spending 12 nights in car to claim city home

A LIMERICK woman is spending 12 nights sleeping in her car to ensure she is top of the queue for a house in a new estate being built in a city suburb.

Bookings won’t be taken for the houses, at Monaleen, until September 23, but the woman, who asked not to be named, has been queuing since Tuesday last.

Since then, she has been joined by other eager home buyers.

A total of 26 houses are being built at Kylemore on School House Road, in Monaleen.

Rooney Auctioneers said yesterday that they will not take bookings until September 23, when a show house will open.

Gordon Kearney of Rooneys said they have witnessed queues forming days in advance of taking bookings for new houses before, but never this early.

He added: “Yesterday, there were about ten people lined up in cars at the estate.”

The estate will consist of three town houses priced at €274,950, six four-bedroomed semis at €350,000 and five four-bedroom detached houses, priced at €440,000.

According to Mr Kearney: “People are prepared to sleep in their cars for over a week to ensure they get one of these houses. We have never seen a queue for new houses start so early.”

He said the builders, Ryno Developments, had a very good reputation and there was strong demand for the block built houses they construct.

Mr Kearney said the houses in question were very well situated, near bigger detached houses.

Mr Kearney said: “Another attraction with these developers is that there are no stage payments. 10% is paid on signing the contract, and, after that, there are no more payments until the house is finished.

“Other developers want [stage] payments.”