It's not all gloom and doom in the housing market, particularly if you're selling a top-notch property with a bird's-eye view of Goverment Buildings.
So Lisney found yesterday when it auctioned a lavish apartment in a Georgian house opposite the Taoiseach's office on Merrion Street for a record €4.3 million, €1.3 million more than the asking price.
The agency's timing was perfect when it put the three-bedroom flat on the market the day before the general election. Two weeks on, finding a buyer has proved a lot easier than forming a new government.
Four candidates emerged immediately, all offering more than the €3 million price tag, according to selling agent David Bewley, who decided to hold a private auction yesterday "to bring things to a head".
Agents all over town will be green with envy. It's been a while since many have had a full auction room, or indeed any bidders at all as buyers sit firmly on the fence until the issue of stamp duty is clarified.
Of the 300 or so properties auctioned in Dublin so far this year, just 20 per cent were sold under the hammer.
However, the old estate agents' mantra of location, location, location clearly applies to No 11 Dunloe Hall, which is within strolling distance not just of the Dáil, but of those other centres of influence, Doheny & Nesbitts, The Unicorn and The Shelbourne Bar.
At 205 sq m, the first-floor apartment is bigger than most four-bedroom semis and includes a grand drawing room with antique fireplace and a separate dining room. There's a large kitchen with plenty of room for casual suppers and there's also a utility room. All three bedrooms are doubles with ensuite bathrooms.
The apartment has been a corporate let in recent years and has the polished, impersonal feel of a hotel suite.
It would make a perfect pied-à-terre for a politician, but while Lisney would not be drawn on the identity of the new owner, it's unlikely to be anyone relying on a TD's salary to pay off the mortgage.
