House-hunters broaden their search online to find a home outside their dream locations
“We really don’t want to spend more on the house than it’s worth. I really don’t think we’d be happy making this decision without expert advice,” said one house-hunter. Picture: iStock
House-hunters are expanding their search beyond their ideal location as demand outstrips supply, but they are also remaining optimistic about finding their dream home.Â
A new MyHome survey of people seeking to rent or buy in the Irish housing market has found that 70% of respondents are now opting to search for homes outside of their preferred location, citing price inflation as the main reason.
Some flexibility is necessary in the current market. That said, house-hunters may need help identifying which compromises are good and which are just a bad idea. We spoke to Sarah, who is currently looking to buy a new home. She is currently living in the US. Sarah and her partner plan to move back to their native Cork in early 2023.
“I’m working for a multinational and I want to relocate back to Cork next year,” said Sarah. “We had a good idea of what we wanted, but we were struggling to get answers to all our questions, and then a friend told us to look up MyHome.ie.
“It has been really useful. We were bidding on a property in Kinsale very recently that we would never have found had it not been listed on MyHome.ie. That bid didn’t work out for us, so we’re still using MyHome.ie to watch out for the house we want.
“We really don’t want to spend more on the house than it’s worth. But, to be honest, we’re learning that there are so many other things to consider before you buy. I really don’t think we’d be happy making this decision without expert advice.”Â
 “Through our 20 years' experience in the business, we understand that a lot of first-time house buyers don’t realise just how daunting the processes can be,” said John Callan, Head of Product and Client Solutions with MyHome.Â
“At MyHome, our aim is to help people find a property that meets their needs and make the process as easy as possible for them. Our website shows you great imagery of the houses, allows you to filter for proximity to schools, for amenities such as restaurants, filter by price and location. We then connect the buyer with the estate agent to arrange a viewing.”Â
 In addition to providing access to all the properties that are for sale and for rent in the market, we also provide helpful content to guide prospective buyers through this daunting process and help connect people to the appropriate profession or service to provide them with expert advice, whether that be a mortgage provider, BER assessor, pre-purchase surveyor or solicitor to conduct the conveyance.
A recent MyHome consumer survey found that 20% of people who have mortgage approval cannot find a house to buy. This suggests that robust demand is continuing to drive the market, and that soaring demand is presenting buyers with difficult, unfamiliar choices.
Joanne Geary, Managing Director of MyHome, adds: “Overall we are seeing impaired supply and very robust demand in the dysfunctional market that we are in at the moment, however we are seeing some signs of supply increasing with new stock to market being higher in Q1 this year than the previous 2 years. We need to support every measure that will bring forward supply in all parts of the market.
“We are forecasting that there will be continuing asking price inflation to the middle part of this year, with that asking price inflation due to taper off in the remaining six months of this year.
“We are not seeing access to mortgages and lending as being the big issue at the moment. The issue is around the challenges for people trying to save while the cost of living is rising and the shortage of supply as a result of the pandemic, however there are grounds for optimism with the recent growth of new supply that we are seeing come to the market.
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 This 5-bed mid-terraced house was renovated in 2014 to a high standard with a new roof, tripled glazed windows and a full upgrade of electrical and plumbing.
This 4-bed detached house in Midleton offers 1,900sq ft of living space and comes to the market in immaculate condition throughout following recent upgrades which include a new contemporary en-suite.Â
This 3-bed semi-detached house in Douglas has gone under recent modernisation and is located in a highly sought-after area in Maryborough Hill.
 This 3-bed bungalow in Mayfield benefits from a kitchen and dining room that has been recently renovated with beautifully designed contemporary features.
 This 4-bed traditional farmhouse on 0.7 acres sits mid-way between the harbour village of Baltimore and the renowned Lough Hyne Lake and Nature Reserve and has been extended and renovated throughout.Â
