Queues for houses in Westmeath

The habit of queuing for a home is spreading outside the capital with buyers standing in line last weekend at Rochfortbridge, …

The habit of queuing for a home is spreading outside the capital with buyers standing in line last weekend at Rochfortbridge, in Co Westmeath, for homes in a new development. The attraction? A new three-bedroom house for under £100,000 - well just about under. Prices started at £99,950, and 30 of them sold in the first hour last Saturday morning. A further 22 were reserved over the weekend. According to sales agent Gerry Leahy, "first-time buyers are prepared to travel an hour outside the M50 provided . . . the prices are affordable". So confident is he of this that he has opened a new branch - Leahy Commuter Homes, which will handle new homes in the ever-expanding outer suburbs.