HUNDREDS OF viewings, strong sales and a queue – it was like the old days at the launch of The Friary last weekend. Over 400 parties visited the scheme outside Rathnew, representing around 1,000 people, says Gunne’s Shane Daly.

Deposits were placed on 21 out of 24 available homes and names taken for a further phase of the scheme, which will comprise 500 homes when complete. Ten parties queued from around 12.30pm in advance of the opening at 2pm, says Daly. West and south Dubliners were the chief buyers of three-bed semis that started at €415,000. Four-bed houses, from €690,000, were popular among local buyers trading up.

Daly, “bowled over” by the response, hasn’t seen such viewing levels in over a year. “We could have sold another 30 three-bed semis if we had them to sell,” he says. Houses at The Friary are being sold as a shell, allowing buyers to choose how to configure partition walls. Also popular was a three-bed with garage at €500,000. The clincher for many was Chieftain Construction’s offer to convert the garage into a playroom and dormer bedroom for an extra €36,000.