To buy my first house two minutes down the street from traveller housing initiative?

[MelMar1]

Please give me advice.
I’m sale agreed on a new build house in Dublin . I found out that there is a new traveller housing initiative going in right across the road from me. Please don’t say I’m being snobby I’m really not. I’ve just heard stories of anti social behaviour etc. I know there’s always some lovely people but I’m nervous.

Do I give the house up because of this? It’s a substantial amount of houses for the traveller scheme all together - six very large detached four bedroom homes. It is two minutes walk from me. I drove up to the development to see and the traveller housing initiative is not in front of me directly as I thought. It is not in front of or behind me but about 2 minutes walk down the road. I can only see gable end of one of the houses from mine. Not directly facing.
I need to sign contacts in 2 days and I am so torn.
Otherwise it’s perfect house for me. With this information are you saying yes or no?

Our community of less than a 1000

'Tackle the criminality head on' - extra Garda resources sought for Ennistymon feud - Clare Echo https://share.google/qeCnev8X5qQJOI1Ao
Or google Ennistymon Traveller feud

Just one of many incidents. Notice what the local elected representatives say. Don't accuse us of being over dramatic until you've lived it.

I would pull out. It will be impossible to sell.

I would say no to this house. You are buying blind. Even though the people renting these houses could be the best in the world, it will definitely impact resale value as by the time you look to sell it will be well known if there is a problem. FWIW I’d also not buy a house without a private driveway.

Let those critical of the view not to buy be one of those unfortunate people who bought here.
Fine Gael councillor sends SOS call as more violence breaks out in Co Limerick - Homepage - Western People https://share.google/mnCjyoEPHERTDJYQ2

I challenge anyone to name a halting site or permanant traveller site in Ireland that hasn't had these issues. There is around 6500 travellers housed on these sites across Ireland with around 100 million spent between 2020 and 2024 providing the housing. Should be easy enough to find one operating within societal norms out of that number.
I'll wait.

Not in Ireland but there used to be a program called the sheriff's are coming (or some similar program) where high court sheriff's recovered money or upheld evictions that were backed by the court
They went to a traveller site and I've never seen anything like it. Kids who weren't even very old throwing stones at them, adults threatening them with their dogs it was awful. When they were moved on the mess they left was disgusting.
Not saying all travellers are the same but I absolutely wouldn't risk it. You don't know what they'll be like.

I’d pull out. Even if it didn’t bother you it could give you problems should you ever want to sell because other people might be put off.

Came to say the same, you could end up stuck with this house once they are moved in. Don't be blinded by a new build, it will be old in no time and I'm a pool of others that are better located.

The previous buyers loan did not fall through. Honestly, the combo of travellers and social housing is going to seriously devalue the house. It will end up as a buy to let.

If you are having doubts, you can be sure that whoever you try to sell to will have doubts. Don’t do it.

Actually while I’m handing out advice, don’t live in Dublin either 😂

Not In a million years….! Why do you think you got it through a cancellation list? 🤔

I'm shocked to read all these comments, simply because, tbh, I was ignorant about the extent of these issues. It's a pity people can't talk more honestly about various other areas of society where there are endemic problems without automatically being labelled "-ist" or "-phobic" or "bigoted".

Never in a million years. Really sorry, OP.

DO NOT DO IT!!! My teenaged DD was kept a prisoner at home by the travellers at the end of our street...she couldn't get past them because of the youths' obscenities, jeering and the spitting. Possibly because she was blonde, pretty and very shy. It was absolutely horrible for her.

As a final thought from the West of Ireland. The first ever representative in Irish Government from the Travelling community is Senator Eileen Flyn. She is an articulate and inteligent young women who any community would be proud to have her representing them. She speaks about recognising historic descrimination and poor treatment of Travellers and the legacy this has created, but also about her community having to take responsibility for their actions. She is a strong advocate for educational achievement for Traveller children and empowering the women outside their traditional roles. This isn't universally accepted within her community and she is a brave women. Her leadership inspired the first ever Traveller child to leave school in our community for University. They usually leave school at 14 or 15. This is where the hope lies with people like Eileen Flyn.

estate agent told me that previous buyers loan fell through

Yeah… that’s not what happened.

I don’t live in Ireland but do live in a county with a relatively high number of travellers. We have a small encampment about half a mile from us. We also have a regular horse fair near by. We haven’t had direct trouble BUT the site is illegal and I have seen horrendous cases of animal welfare. Horses and dogs are often dumped or mistreated. I was involved with cat rescue for a while and we had a ‘friendly’ contact who would sometimes help us get cats and dogs out. She once told us that the kids were giving kittens to dogs to kill. I always thought she was exaggerating but given the state of some of the animals we rescued I’m not so sure.
I don’t want to tar and entire community but I’m yet to be convinced it’s not a case of different values when it comes to animals. When we move I will be looking to move away from an area near traveller sites.

No, you will give yourself a stressful life. Not just for now but maybe forever becos as others have said, you won't be able to sell it. Think of your life / future. we have just one house nearby and the dramas are mostly daily

I work with Travellers and there are council/social housing estates where they predominantly live (although are not Traveller designated). The only giveaway they are Travellers is that their houses are more ornamental than the others. They are very well kept, there are no horses and Travellers do not keep dogs in their houses so very unlikely they will have "dogs roaming the streets". Six houses isn't remotely comparable to a site, it's very likely there will be no trouble and the families will be afraid to move in as they know what the neighbours will be thinking. They have probably always been settled too, so know how to live in a house
OP these six houses are two minutes walk away, you can't even see them from your house. Social housing is always perceived as 'lowering the tone' of an area and affecting house prices, there are so many threads on this. Perhaps speak to the social housing association who are building them to ask about the initiative.

Another no. And you would struggle to sell it later.

I live in Dublin so I understand the housing market.
still a hard no from me - I have had some interaction with travellers through my job and no way would I buy the house

I wouldn’t buy it even with a huge discount. Likely anti-social behaviours and a tough resell are a terrible combination. Do you want to take the risk of being trapped for years and feeling miserable because of this?

Why does the house you want have to be a new build?

Hard no from me too. Sorry if it offends anyone, but unfortunately some communities do have a reputation and this is one where that reputation usually lives up to the hype.

The last buyer of the house….the loan didn’t fall through OP…they pulled out over concerns about the housing site too.

It will be harder to sell, you can see that from this thread (and from the previous buyers - I don’t believe their loan fell through). If this is a house you’re planning on be in for decades, maybe that doesn’t matter. If it’s your first home that you’re thinking you won’t be in really long term, then it does.

This aligns with what I've seen, and it's interesting that it's one of teh few posts coming from a place of actual experience.

We lived for years with a semi-permanent traveller camp at the end of our road (think a couple of dozen static caravans).

No problems whatsoever. Zilch. None. It was almost as if they were normal people just trying to get on with life.

Lots and lots of prejudice on this thread unfortunately :(. Posters should imagine they were saying this about black or asian people, and then give their head a wobble.