Lisney is starting the new year with a bang. In a signal it is expecting an upturn in the new homes space, former Nama employee Helen Moore (above, with James Nugent, Lisney’s managing director) has been appointed director of New Homes, where she will be working with developers to identify new residential housing opportunities.

Helen started her career in 1994, with Hamilton Osborne King (now Savills), where she became a director of the new homes division. In 2009 she moved to the Central Bank as a credit analyst, followed by a three-year stint as a portfolio manager with Nama.

Lisney has also announced that it is the first Irish estate agent to sell a property – in this case a commercial property that was for sale through receivers in Wicklow – using clicktopurchase.ie. According to Lisney, it will be the only agent in the Republic using the clickto-purchase model, which originated in the UK. It allows property to be bought and sold online at the click of a mouse. When an offer on a property is accepted by the seller, a legally binding exchange of contracts takes place and both parties are committed to the sale. Proponents of the system say it is quicker and less stressful for vendors and buyers because it bypasses the traditional sale-agreed period and safeguards against gazumping. There's no risk of inadvertently buying a property by clicking on it, because bidders need pre-
clearance and have to jump through a series of hoops before a bid is accepted. The system, says Lisney, is most likely to be used to sell commercial and distressed residential property. However skeptics sayits efficiency hinges on having a solicitor who is prepared to speed up the paperwork.