Your property questions answered.

How can I minimise planning objections?

In our previous house we couldn't get planning permission for an extension due, we believe, to a series of objections. Some came from neighbours but, extraordinarily, three came from people outside Dublin. We moved house and are now embarking on an extension. How do we minimise objections? And surely people who are not directly affected by something have no right to complain.

Whether a plan succeeds or fails is not about the volume of objections. Your local authority planners have clear guidelines about what is permissible and that's the first measure they use. Of course, individual objections are considered but it's about the substance of those objections not their number. Spending time on a "pre-planning" phase can help things go more smoothly.

An architect familiar with your local planning authority will have a very good idea about what it allows and what it routinely turns down and why. This often informs (but not dictates) how your extension is designed. An architect will often contact the planners for an informal chat about the design, well before the plans are drawn up. The planner can't give guarantees that the plan will succeed but can point out problems.

Once you get your plans, show them to the neighbours - it's the surprise of seeing a planning application fixed to a gatepost that often gets people going. Again, no guarantee that they won't turn around and object anyway, but at least you will have opened up a reasonable dialogue.

As to out-of-county objections - that's just something you have to live with as anyone can object to a planning application.

Is our cottage's thatched roof a turn-off for buyers?

Although advertised for sale with an agent, and online for four months, our traditional thatched farmhouse in east Cork attracts letting enquiries only. Locals never buy thatched houses, associating them with poverty. How can we find a buyer from a region without this particular hang-up?

Did your agent feed you that line about locals, thatched roofs and poverty? If so, it's going straight to the top of the list of daft excuses. That said, buyers do have concerns about thatches - insurance is the big one. People are afraid they won't be able to get it. You know it's possible, so make this clear. Also maintenance - has your house been rethatched recently and are there grants that can be availed of?

Your agent must communicate all of this positive information to prospective buyers. As sellers, you must also realise that when it comes to holiday homes, buyers tend to want as little hassle/maintenance as possible, so many will be set against thatch. So that's a whole segment of the market reduced. Is your house priced correctly? Are you expecting a significant premium because of the prettiness of the thatch? If so, locals looking for a home will look for better value in a more standard house. Properties with a unique character always take longer to sell because they are in a niche and rely on the right person coming along and falling in love. Be realistic, four months is not a long time for an unusual property to be on the market.

Send your queries to Property Questions, The Irish Times, 10-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 or email propertyquestions@irish-times.ie.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to respond to all questions. The above is a representative sample of queries received. This column is a readers' service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.