Sales of new homes were surprisingly strong last weekend on most new schemes launched in the greater Dublin area.

Dunloe Ewart put up the "sold out" signs on its latest apartment scheme, Collins Square, where the final 30 homes went on the market. Hundreds of viewers turned up over the weekend to visit the show apartments and virtually all the units were bought by owner-occupiers who will be able to avail of the HARP area tax breaks. There was a mixture of one-bedroom apartments from £135,000 (E;171,410) and two-bedroom homes from £167,000 (E;212,000).

Agent Hooke and MacDonald sold 50 of the apartments off the plans last April and the clearance of the remaining homes over the weekend means that all of them have been sold in advance of the completion of the scheme.

Hooke & MacDonald and their joint agents Kelly and Co also hit the jackpot in Skerries, selling 30 of the 52 apartments under construction along an attractive coastal site known as Rockabill.

Sean McKeon's MKN Group also had considerable success last weekend with its newly launched infill housing development at 150 Howth Road in Clontarf, Dublin 3.

Agents Ross McParland sold 7 of the 13 houses over the weekend at prices ranging from £345,000 (E;438,059) for townhouses to £795,000 (E;1m) for large three-storey period-style homes.

On the south of the city, Sorohan Brothers found another ten buyers for their stylish new three and four bedroom townhouses at Elton Court, Sandycove. Eight of the homes had already been sold at prices from £390,000 (E;495,200) by HOK Residential.

Joint agents Ross McParland and Hooke and MacDonald also sold seven apartments off the plans in the latest phase of the large Northwood development at Santry Demesne in Dublin 9.

This means 11 of the 27 units in the block are now committed.

One-bed apartments are priced at £165,000 (E;209,510), two-bed units cost from £187,500 (E;238,080) while three-bed homes are available from £235,000 (E;298,390).