This article is from page 2 of the 2009-03-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
ENNIS Town Council have a big push on to get people on board to buy homes in an affordable housing scheme just weeks after it opened.
The three-bedroom affordable homes are for sale in the Westbourne Estate, Watery Road, Ennis, at €175,000.
The council is hoping to get would- be property owners to take up the offer for the knock-down price as quickly as possible.
“What makes these houses afforda- ble is that they are available at prices that are much lower than the market
value — that is what makes it an ‘af- fordable home’,” a release from the town council said.
It is possible to borrow up to 97 per cent of the purchase price of an af- fordable home, leaving the buyer to make up just the remaining three per cent.
The council is even advising which financial institutions are lending for the properties.
To qualify for an affordable home, buyers need to earn roughly from €30,000 for a single applicant and up to €60,000 on a joint application.
“These are the approximate limits only – lower and higher income lim-
its may apply,” the release said.
The properties ae being sold through Frank Cullinan at Paddy Browne and Co Real Estate Alliance at Woodquay, Ennis.
The latest official figures show that Clare County Council acquired 35 units of affordable housing in the period from January | to September 30.
In the same period, the local au- thority were in the process of acquir- ing 24 more units and were looking at proposals for four more.
During that time also, the council rented 133 homes under the social rental housing scheme and bought
12 more for rental. They were in the process of acquiring 250 more.
There were four homes completed under the voluntary and co-operative housing scheme, while 54 more were in progress at that time.
There was no housing processed under the voluntary and co-opera- tive housing capital loan and subsidy scheme in that period but the capital assistance scheme saw four homes aquired in Clare, 54 in progress and a start being made on 44 more.
The local authority completed 133 housing units in that time, aquired 12 more, started on 181 further units and were making progress on 252.