24 of 27 units available at St Josephs’ new home development in Clonsilla, Dublin 15, were sold last Thursday and Friday, in the largest new home sale launch post-lockdown.

The second phase of the development was promoted online during COVID-19 restrictions. This was the first opportunity for interested parties to view the show houses in-person and, according to Savills, those that purchased homes reached their decision quicker than the norm pre-COVID-19.

David Browne, Director of New Homes at Savills commented:

“The rapid emergence of online platforms during lockdown enabled buyers to conduct in-depth research in advance of viewing properties in-person. The majority of people won’t make a decision to buy a property without viewing it, however, the ability to get a real feeling for it in a virtual setting, has certainly speeded-up the decision making process – which we saw at first hand yesterday at St Josephs.”

Speaking about the market in general, Browne commented:

“Demand for housing didn’t disappear during lockdown and, the number of virtual and in-person viewings – in addition to sales – over the past month shows that. Predictions of double-digit price decreases have proven incorrect. The cessation of construction for over two months will result in decreased output of new homes this year, but demand for these new homes remains the same.”

St Josephs in Clonsilla, Dublin 15 is being developed by Castlethorn Construction. The development features 2, 3 and 4 bed homes ranging in price from €325,000 to €490,000.