This article is from page 10 of the 2008-08-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
A SHORTAGE of new houses in Clare was predicted yesterday af- ter figures show the number of new house starts is only 29 per cent of what it was five years ago.
Local auctioneer, Dermot McMa- hon of Sherry Fitzgerald McMahon made the prediction after depart- ment figures confirmed that local authorities in Clare have received commencement notices for just 392 houses in the first half of this year.
This compares to the 1,330 com- mencement notices received for the same period in 2004. The figures provided by the Department of the
Environment show that there has been a steady decline in new house starts since 2004.
Last year there were 546 new house starts in the first half of the year and this followed 851 new house starts for the same period in 2006. There were 1,278 new house starts in 2005 and 1,330 in 2004.
Mr McMahon said that the inevita- ble consequence will be a shortage of new homes. Calling for Government intervention to help the first time buyer, he said that this would perco- late to other parts of the market.
“Confidence in the economy is the main thing needed for the housing market to recover,’ he said.
The McMahon auctioneering busi- ness has been in place for over a 100 years, and Mr McMahon said, “There are cycles and they can hurt people and there is a generation for whom this is a new experience.”
Cormac O’Sullivan of O’Sullivan Hurley DNG said that it will be well into 2009 before a significant meas- ure of consumer confidence will re- turn to the market.
He said however that confidence had increased in recent weeks with more viewings and inquiries. “People are holding back but if the prices are right, properties will sell,” he said.
In the past five workings day, his firm recorded four sale agreements.