A chara, – There is a growing tendency to frame the housing crisis in terms of the divide between the generations. Somehow the older generation are responsible for locking the younger generation out of the housing market. This flawed analysis ignores the fact that most older people do not see their home as an “asset” to cash in and will never realise the benefit of it in their lifetime unless they downsize (which Irish people appear reluctant to do).
Second, it ignores the fact that most of this older generation are parents and hope very much that their adult children will be able to afford their own homes.
Ask any parent, would they choose to see the value of their home decrease if it meant their children could buy homes in the area, and I guarantee you they would say yes.
Fostering this generational divide is a distraction from the real issues; it isn’t helpful and it won’t fix the dysfunctional housing market. – Is mise,
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KAY CHALMERS,
Douglas,
Cork.
Sir, – As a sociologist, I really enjoyed Joanne Hunt’s excellent article “Is Dublin still an option for first-time buyers?’” (Property, April 29th). It clearly reveals that access to housing is now a major middle-class issue and likely to become a “hot topic” for all political parties. The article reveals that both the “first home shared-equity” and “help to buy” schemes are not available to first-time buyers who want to buy a second-hand house. They are incentives only available to those buying newly built houses or apartments, which supports the construction industry, not first-time buyers. There should be some equivalent financial assistance given to first-time buyers in Dublin who are willing to buy “second-hand houses” in cities like Dublin as their “first home”. – Yours, etc,
Dr EVELYN MAHON,
Fellow Emerita,
School of Social Work
and Social Policy
Trinity College Dublin,
Dublin 2.
