Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3?

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sinnott

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Hi guys,

I am looking for someone who has bought an affordable house in the Dublin or surrounding areas to talk TV3 about their experience of the whole process.
They would like to film someone in their home which would only last about 5 mins with one camera man and one reseacher. The short clip would be shown on Ireland AM as part of their property slot. Fiona McLoughlin MD Privateseller.ie who is the property expert on this slot would then discuss this topic live on air. This topic was discussed on the property slot before but they would now like to talk to someone who has now gone through the process. Please reply to this message if you would like further details.

Thanks.
 
Re: Would anyone be interested in talking to TV3?

I haven't even had a viewing yet so it can't be me.
I hope TV3 will do a balanced report, not just saying that it's all brilliant. The biggest problem that people have in purchasing at the moment is that properties are being over-valued by the council and buyers are subject to inflated clawback years down the line. People will still buy because they are desperate for somewhere to live.
A balanced report on affordable housing would have to mention the valuation problems.
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

Instead of interviewing one person it would probably give a better overview if they took a couple of people with contrasting experiences. Everybody seems to have a different experience with the councils/banks/waiting lists etc. There is also the difference between mainstream affordable housing and the affordable housing initiative/partnership. There are some common issues, especially in regards the valuations etc. I bought an apt under the AHI and have found the process fairly straightforward. From reading the posts here I understand I am the exception as opposed to the rule, and maybe I was just lucky. I think it would cause a lot of controversy if someone like myself explained their story as it was straightforward and relatively stress free (which i know is not always the case), but at the same time it would not be beneficial to purely portray the negative aspects and the problems some people face.
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

You might also like to point out in your report that if you decide to change your money lender over the term of the mortgage you have to pay the clawback back to the council. Ridiculous!!!
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

I agree with you Starky... both sides need to be seen as there are obviously extremes... some people have so many problems with it their only option is to pull out, while others work out perfectly without a hitch. I would say in general most people are faced with some problems but the benefit at the end (your own place at a price you can afford) outweighs the obstacles encountered along the way!
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

What would the purpose of this interview be? As an affordable house owner, i believe that i have been very fortunate and lucky to be able to get on the property ladder in 2006, I do feel however that there are certain issues surrounding affordable housing. One issue i would like to highlight publicily is that of the role of Management Companies and the excessive fees they charge for services. This is an issue that affects residents in large apartment blocks, In 2006 my management fee was quoted at 1500 Euros, at that time i would have done anything to have an opportunity to get on the property ladder so i agreed to pay the fee for that year, In 2007 the managment fee had jumped up to 2300 Euro's and nothing in the serivce been provided warranted that rise. This is an important point as the term affordable housing was coined by local and national government and aimed to offer affordable housing to average industrail earners ( i.e) people whose gross income was about 50K. All fine therefore in theory - you would own a unit and pay a substantially lower mortgage than the market value, however the hidden charge of a management fee and an un-regulated management companies has seriously made re-paying a mortgage plus meeting a fee to be an unaffordable prospect ( 220 euros a month on a service charge) This is not reflected in the consumer price index, but is a real cost for those in the affordable housing scheme where un-regulated management companies can hike up fees as i have experience. At the very least - residents in this type of situation who were bought into the scheme on the basis of affordability - should perhaps get some tax credits toward the management fee aspect. I would like to see TV 3 do a documentary therefore on residents who live in affordable housing units and the issues they have surrounding management fees which were an orginal part of there conditions to get an affordable house
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

Thanks for the feedback. Its nice to hear both sides of the argument. Would any of you actuallty be willing to talk on camera about your experience whichever side it may be on.
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

sinnott said:
Would any of you actuallty be willing to talk on camera about your experience whichever side it may be on.
Click to expand...
I think the issue is none of us can say we're on a "side"! There was a journalist a few mths back who posted here that wanted to do an article for an irish magazine on the AH process! i replied and said id love to do it, but after i told her it wouldnt be just positive feedback i didnt hear from her again! The AH issue, like most things have + and -s and id nearly guarantee that due to the lack of transparancy i mentioned above many people would be a bit cautious of speaking on tv due to this fact! I went through the process, met many pitfalls and still couldnt explain to people accurately what the whole thing is about ( yes i know how crazy that sounds)! Im slightly embarassed to admit i literally winged my way through the whole process last year and luckily came out (so far) the better for it, but id be seriously reluctant to go on telly and explain that! Brendan asked people to write an AH fact blurb for this site and got nobody, so if that cant be done i seriously doubt there'd be many who'd discuss it on TV3! A newspaper article i would definitely do where i had time to think about my response and make sure i said what needed to be said...good luck though!!!
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

I'm in the same boat as Starky, i'd also be standing in the carpark pointing up at my apartment. I am not sure I would like to go on the box and explain about my affordable experiences, all my mates know I’m going down the affordable route, but I perceive that there is a slight stigma involved in being an owner of an affordable and I would prefer to avoid going public on that basis.

[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']I really appreciate the opportunity I am getting to own a home in an area where I would not otherwise be able to afford on my own and I am grateful to the council for that. I do wonder if the scheme is actually allowing developers to maintain higher prices on the open market on the basis that the affordable purchasers are providing guaranteed cash flow which can permit the developers hold out for longer without reducing prices. I believe all new house prices on the open market would be considerably lower if the developers were not guaranteed that they would be handed purchasers for 20% of the homes they develop thus reducing open market supply and artificially inflating prices[/FONT]
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

I have deleted answers not dealing directly with the OP's question - Do you want to appear or not.

If someone wants to start a separate thread on the good bits and bad bits, they are welcome to do so.

brendan
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

I was wondering where some of the responses had gone!
I would definitely be willing to do it but as I said above I don't know if I would give a "realistic" overview of the process as I found it straightforward.
It would also depend on the timeframe obviously as I am only just closing.
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

Your experience is as real as anyone elses. When are you due to close the deal?
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

Apologies for my “now deleted” ranting post, I obviously did not make my point clearly at the end of it.

I would gladly go on the old telly to talk about my AH experience, but I have not yet closed my AH deal so does rule me out?

I will probably be closing the deal in the summer If the OP can wait till then I will go out and get my self some new clothes to wear on the telly :)
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

Artois said:
I'm in the same boat as Starky, i'd also be standing in the carpark pointing up at my apartment. I am not sure I would like to go on the box and explain about my affordable experiences, all my mates know I’m going down the affordable route, but I perceive that there is a slight stigma involved in being an owner of an affordable and I would prefer to avoid going public on that basis.
Click to expand...

I had thought of this, but to be honest I don’t care all that much. I am basically getting an apartment at a 50% discount. People (including my friends) can judge all they like I really could not give a rats … :)
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

When is the slot being planned to go on air at TV3? Will be watching out for it.
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

Sinnott

Can you make it clear whether you are from TV3 or the Council before people contact you?

Thanks
 
Re: Would anyone, who has bought an affordable house, be interested in talking to TV3

The OP got plenty of names.

Our Posting Guidelines were abused repeatedly in this thread.

We don't mind a commercial station openly using AAM for research purposes, but not if it uses up Mods' time.

PM the Original Poster if you want to participate.
 
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