Hi Dino,
I bought in Pembroke Wood in Passage West a little while ago because, like you, I thought I'd get more bang for my buck than in Rochestown and Douglas. I had been renting a house in Mount Oval for 2 years, and I wanted to stay near the Douglas area, but wasn't willing to pay the extra cash for the location.
Passage hasn't really had the best reputation in the past, and it's still finding this a bit hard to shake, despite its proximity to Douglas and Rochestown. Depending on what time you leave at, morning traffic on the Rochestown Road can be a bitch in the morning once you get past the Rochestown Inn.
The village itself is pretty dingy. There's a severe lack of shops and restaurants, and a severe excess of dodgy looking pubs. A new development plan, Project 2006, is attempting to revamp the place. For Sale signs are everywhere on the main street, and the developers are moving in with gusto (the new Credit Union Building, Sirius Heights, the new O'Brien & O'Flynn Ardmore development, and the redevelopment of the convent, for example). The old Skoda garage opposite the new Ardmore development is set to be redeveloped as a shop (SuperValu, or some such like), and the new children's park has already been completed (unlike the much needed school, but that's a gripe for another thread...)
There are some nice amenities in the area (the waterside walk to Hop Island, for example), though, and it has fantastic potential...
if the area is revamped properly. One good thing about Project 2006, and everything else in terms of the development of Passage, is that the whole community is encouraged to chime in their opinions and get involved.
I have to say, I'm really happy in Pembroke Wood. It's very quiet, and we've never had any trouble. We bought a 1,600+ sq.ft. (not counting the huge attic which is perfect for conversion) four-bed house for under the stamp duty threshold! You can't even come close to that in Douglas and Rochestown. Our house is very easy to maintain, and very cosy. Even in the short while that we've had it, it has shot up in value. Two 3-bed semis near us are now guiding 317,500 (naturally
) - before Christmas they were making 270,000.
We tend to socialise mainly in Douglas anyhow, so the current dearth of amenities doesn't bother us. If Passage takes off, well and good. If it doesn't, we still have a house in a very quiet area with plenty of room to grow into, so I'm still happy.