Worth the investment

Address: 4 Ashurst, Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.

Address: 4 Ashurst, Mount Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin.

Agent: Lowe & Associates.

Property type: a two-bedroom first floor apartment for €465,000.

What do you get? A 102sq m (1,100sq ft) apartment that has been remodelled and renovated. It has an entrance hall, large lounge with a balcony, a separate kitchen, storage, recessed lighting, video intercom and car-parking. Both bedrooms are en suite.

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Where? At the junction of Mount Merrion Avenue and the Stillorgan Road.

What will it cost an investor to buy? On an investment property valued at €465,000 at 80 per cent of the property value over 25 years on an investment mortgage tracker variable rate of 3.2 per cent APR, the repayments per month would be €1,793.23. If the customer opted for an interest-only loan for the first five years - at 80 per cent of the cost based on a 25-year term, and an investment mortgage variable rate of 3.2 per cent APR - repayments per month for the first five years would be €976.50.

What will it cost an owner-occupier? At 92 per cent of the property value, at a current account mortgage variable rate of 3.3 per cent APR and over 25 years, the monthly repayments are €2,093.79. On a repayment term of 35 years, the monthly repayments are €1,716.40. The same mortgage could be taken over 40 years and monthly repayments would be €1,603.81.

Single income required: a single person would require an income of approximately €83,000 to fund a 92 per cent mortgage over 40 years.

Joint income required: a couple purchasing as investors require a combined salary of around €81,700 (€51,700 and €30,000) to fund an 80 per cent mortgage over 25 years. This is an estimate only and individual cases will vary, based on circumstances.

Stamp Duty: first-time buyer - €27,900. Trader-upper - €34,875.

Potential: rental return on this apartment would be upwards of €1,400 per month. A prime rental location in an area that is close to UCD, the coast and the city centre.

Verdict: the development looks a little dated from the outside but the apartment has been completely refurbished and modernised. Reasonable value for a two-bed apartment in this location and the prospects for capital growth look good.

Edel Morgan

Edel Morgan

Edel Morgan is Special Reports Editor of The Irish Times