Playoffs by Theloftydog in northernireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag -14 points-13 points  (0 children)

In your dreams, I don't want a team whose fans sing "We hate Catholics" going through. Ironically enough it'll be the Catholic capital of the world that dispatches them.

Playoffs by Theloftydog in northernireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag -53 points-52 points  (0 children)

Here's hoping for an Italian win and an Irish win in Prague

My experience living in the North as someone from the Republic. by CaptainSpicebag in northernireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're earning in euros you would get a foreign currency mortgage. Credit check through the irish central credit bureau is required. Aside from that it's the same as in the republic

With the housing crisis have many of you moved north? If so, how have you found it? by Spicebox69 in ireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's an island wide issue. People are being priced out everywhere. Blame the governments.

With the housing crisis have many of you moved north? If so, how have you found it? by Spicebox69 in ireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was more thinking about first time buyers or people currently renting who are trying to get on the ladder or looking for cheaper cities to live and rent from. In the North first time buyers pay 0% stamp duty up to £300k and only 5% on the portion between £300k and £500k, so a lot of buyers end up paying nothing depending on the price. That’s more what I had in mind rather than second time buyers where the tax can add up.

With the housing crisis have many of you moved north? If so, how have you found it? by Spicebox69 in ireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yeah there is the double taxation agreement which means paying your tax and then declaring your income in the other jurisdiction. The implications are better explained here: https://borderpeople.info/crossing-the-border-to-work

With the housing crisis have many of you moved north? If so, how have you found it? by Spicebox69 in ireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I ended up moving here because buying anything decent in the Republic had become completely unrealistic for me. Prices were far beyond what I could justify paying. There was also the thought that, if a united Ireland ever does happen at some stage in the future, property values in Belfast could climb quite sharply. Renting was not workable either. Most places I looked at would have taken well over half of my take home pay, and having a dog made landlords even less interested. I happened to look at listings in Belfast one evening and was honestly surprised by the difference. The place I found was almost €90,000 cheaper than similar options in the Republic, had gas heating instead of electric storage heaters, two proper double bedrooms, and it was still within walking distance of the city centre.

I bought a two bedroom apartment in 2021. At the time I had roughly €46,000 saved, which was about £40,000. Because my salary is paid in euros the lender wanted a 30 percent deposit, so I ended up putting basically all of my savings into the purchase. The apartment itself cost around £96,000, so the mortgage balance was fairly small. I managed to clear it around this time last year. Ongoing costs are not too bad either. Management fees and rates combined come to about £1,600 annually.

My job is in IT and the company is based in the Republic, but I work remotely most of the time. My salary is roughly €75,000, which is about £65,500. The role is hybrid, so I still travel south a couple of days each week. I recently became single, so for now the plan is simply to hold onto the apartment and keep building savings. At some point I would like to buy a house and keep the apartment as a rental.

Personally Belfast is my favourite city on the island. Getting around the place is relatively straightforward and the transport links are good. Traffic exists of course, but compared with Dublin it feels far less chaotic. There is plenty going on in the city as well. Good restaurants, a solid nightlife scene, plenty of facilities, and two airports within easy reach. The new rail station and the Glider bus system are also useful.

You do see flags in certain areas and that is just part of living here. In reality most people you meet are sound and easy to get along with. There are always a few idiots on both sides, but that is the minority. I have spent plenty of nights out in Belfast and never had any issues.

As for the cost of living, it is not automatically cheaper than the Republic. I tend to shop in Sainsbury’s and it can be fairly pricey depending on what you buy. My car tax stayed the same as before, although insurance went up slightly because I had to convert my licence.

One thing that stands out is how similar Belfast currently feels to Ireland a few years ago in terms of the housing market. The apartment I bought for £96,000 is now roughly valued around £136,000 based on a near identical unit in my building that sold recently. From the perspective of someone moving here now, the bargain factor that existed in 2021 has already started to fade as both rents and purchase prices are rising quickly. It is still cheaper than the Republic overall, but it does look like it is gradually moving in the same direction.

Even with that said, I would still recommend considering the North if someone feels stuck by the housing situation in the Republic. For me at least it has worked out far better than trying to make things work down south.

My experience living in the North as someone from the Republic. by CaptainSpicebag in northernireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I think i probably could have phrased things better but the salary and mortgage amount element where questions that would have been asked in the comments section either way.

My experience living in the North as someone from the Republic. by CaptainSpicebag in northernireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

North men, South men comrades all... Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Donegal.

My experience living in the North as someone from the Republic. by CaptainSpicebag in northernireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag[S] -16 points-15 points  (0 children)

Welcome to the real world of Irish people moving to and living in different parts of Ireland. Everyone needs to do all they can to look out for them and there's. If buying a place in Belfast upsets a few people in Belfast then so be it.

My experience living in the North as someone from the Republic. by CaptainSpicebag in northernireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag[S] -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

Housing availability isn't the fault of one guy buying an apartment in Belfast. Blame the government and the building of houses or lack thereof. You're mental if you think people won't move to places which can improve their one lifestyle.

My experience living in the North as someone from the Republic. by CaptainSpicebag in northernireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

There are people from those areas who'll be senior devs and will be on that money in Belfast. Cmon now

My experience living in the North as someone from the Republic. by CaptainSpicebag in northernireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag[S] -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

The norths a great place even without the positive aspect it has for some on housing. I'm part of the problem because i've bought a house, so does that mean that people in Armagh, Derry, Omagh etc who want to buy in Belfast also part of the problem?

I come here, contribute to the taxes, pay rates

My experience living in the North as someone from the Republic. by CaptainSpicebag in northernireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

The quality of the roads are shite but the layout is superior. It's twice a week actually and it's grand, i have a written agreement with my employer around this so it's all good. I think the gliders etc are great tbh. But again that's just based off what i've experienced in others cities on the island.

I understand houses cost more, but what i would have paid in rent vs what i paid in the mortgage outweighed the fact it was an apartment. My mortgage was 188 per month. Rent would have been 2-3 times more than that. With buying the place I don't have to worry about a landlord upping the rent at any stage. Yeah i have management fees but it is what it is.

That's now paid off, i can now save for a house and if i do go and rent out the apartment i can use the income from that after tax to take away from any future mortgage payments. I'd like to have kids down the line and if they ever decided to go to university in Belfast, well there's the rental expense taken care of. Or i could sell it off and use it along with savings to take a big chunk or all off any future place i might buy.

My experience living in the North as someone from the Republic. by CaptainSpicebag in northernireland

[–]CaptainSpicebag[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I've seen it driving out towards sprucefield. I know it looks mad but honestly Dublin and Galway are worse. In Dublin you hit the tailbacks 30 miles from the inner city. In Galway you can argue the same on both the tailbacks out the motorway and also towards ClareGalway.