In recent decades Lucan has expanded exponentially, with new housing estates springing up in every direction.
With good transport links to Dublin city, a great village and a range of other amenities such as parks and shopping centres, modern housing estates in Lucan have attracted buyers.
The new estates' proximity to major employers, such as Intel and Hewlett Packard, has also been a major selling point.
Due to recent price rises in Dublin, many central locations have once again become out of reach for first-time buyers – especially with the new lending limits – and areas such as Lucan have experienced increased popularity, with price rises matching that of their central Dublin counterparts.
Despite these rises, Lucan remains one of the most affordable areas in Dublin, and would-be first-time buyers continue to flock to the area as a result.
8 Brookfield, Finnstown Abbey, Lucan, Co Dublin
Price: €300,000 Agent: DNG Size: 102sq m (1,095sq ft)
Finnstown Abbey is a Joe Tiernan-built development that was launched in 1995 at prices from €82,500 (IR£65,000). The popular estate is close to both the Superquinn Centre and the 200-acre Griffeen Valley park – one of Lucan’s best amenities. In addition to these there is a small shopping centre at the entrance to the estate and Adamstown train station is about five minutes away by car, which offers a quick 20-minute journey to Heuston Station.
Number 8 is in good decorative order throughout, and the owners have both added a sunroom to the rear and converted the attic. Including the attic, the house extends to approximately 123sq m (1,320sq ft) and is, therefore, considerably larger than the average three-bed in the estate.
The ground floor features a living room, WC, utility room and a particularly pleasant open-plan kitchen, dining and sunroom to the rear. The sunroom opens out to the 8.2m rear garden, which is low-maintenance with paving, decking and pebbles, and thanks to its south-facing orientation the open-plan rooms to the rear are particularly bright.
Upstairs there is a good-sized master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, two further bedrooms and a family bathroom. The large converted attic could lend itself to a variety of uses. The front garden currently accommodates one car. However numerous neighbours have paved over the entire front garden in order to comfortably accommodate two cars.
Prices achieved in the estate in recent years have ranged from €200,000 in 2011, to €290,000 for the most recent sale in September 2014, according to the property price register. Back in more buoyant times a three-bed sold in the Foxwood cul-de-sac of Finnstown Abbey in 2008 for a price in the region of €360,000 having been previously advertised for sale in November 2006 for €397,000.
62 Elmbrook Crescent, Lucan, Co Dublin
Price: €295,000 Agent: REA McDonald Size: 112sq m (1,200sq ft)
Elmbrook is a development comprising about 160 houses, constructed around 1991. The estate features a mix of two, three and four bedroom properties, and Number 62 would have cost about €63,500 (IR£50,000) when first launched. The development is within Lucan’s desirable St Mary’s parish, a catchment area for two nearby well-regarded primary and secondary schools.
The three-bed home is well presented, with a neutral colour scheme employed throughout, and has clearly been updated in recent years. Downstairs, there is a livingroom to the front, interconnecting with the kitchen/dining room. The kitchen opens out to a conservatory, which is likely to be used most in the warmer summer months thanks to the westerly orientation the house enjoys.
The rear garden is laid out in grass and paving and, while the garden may not be huge, the home benefits from having a large green area directly opposite.
At first-floor level there is a master bedroom with bathroom en-suite. There are two bedrooms to the front of the house and a shared family bathroom. All three bedrooms are well fitted with in-built wardrobes.
The attic has been converted into a bright and functional additional room, currently offering further storage with under-eaves storage and fitted cabinets.
The lowest price achieved in recent times for a comparable property was €207,000 for a north-facing, three-bed house with attic conversion on Elmbrook Crescent in 2012.
More recently €292,000 was achieved for 37 Elmbrook Walk, a south-facing three-bed. Back in 2003 a similar house to Number 37 was seeking €270,000.
23 Griffeen Way, Lucan, Co Dublin
Price: €279,000 Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Size:105sqm (1,130sqft)
Built as part of the adjoining Esker Meadow development, which launched in 1998, Griffeen Way is a short stretch of red-brick semi-detached houses.
Number 23 is an attractive home around the corner from the local Gaelscoil and from the adjacent Griffeen Valley Park.
The front garden features both grass and a driveway capable of accommodating two cars.
Inside there are interconnecting living and dining rooms to the left upon entering, and a conservatory to the rear joins the kitchen and dining room.
While the home has been well maintained, the original kitchen is now somewhat dated and buyers may decide to update this.
Upstairs there are two good-sized double bedrooms with fitted wardrobes, the master with en-suite bathroom, a single bedroom and a family bathroom.
The southwesterly rear garden is laid out mainly in lawn, with a small paved area. There is outdoor seating to one side and a wooden shed at the end of the garden.
16 Esker Meadow Grove, a similar three-bed offered for sale in worse decorative order, achieved €200,000 in April 2014, which is something of an anomaly as slightly larger four-beds have been achieving strong prices, as high as €365,000.
In January 2006, an identical house three doors down from 23 Griffeen Way was seeking €330,000.
