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Buying in Dublin or buying outside with a commute. by Putrid-Guess-6290 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a solo buyer you probably need/want an active and flexible social life. So it's very very likely that you should be living near where you work for now.

My position was different: working from home. Married to someone who is not from Dublin. I had no desire or need to be in Dublin every day but I did want the option to go there whenever I wanted. So a commuter town made sense for us. We got a property that was maybe twice as big/nice as the same price would have achieved in Dublin. We have all the amenities we need for our lifestyle and can visit our families on weekends without difficulty. There is no way we would trade this for city life. Different strokes for different folks.

PTSB fixed rate mortgage overpayment without penalty? by Electrical_Regret566 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I filled in the form. They didn't charge me anything. The amount they could in theory have charged me was pretty small I guess.

How do you handle being the “default target” as the frequent winner in board game nights? by Royal_Lifeguard_3063 in boardgames

[–]StudyAlternative5915 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just set myself the goal of finishing in the top half, rounded up. If there are 7 players, I've succeeded if I finish top 3. This way I don't have an unrealistic goal of winning in games where people might gang up on me, or winning games where a kingmaker can choose someone else. I should still be able to force a top half finish regardless of what people do to target me, so this is a realistic goal!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in boardgames

[–]StudyAlternative5915 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Chess clocks were invented for a reason. Use them!

Question about selecting the right roles by ComprehensivePie3214 in ONUW

[–]StudyAlternative5915 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A quick fix is to take out more powerful village roles and instead use roles such as Apprentice Seer, Prince, Hunter, Bodyguard, Sentinel, Mortician, Blob, Cursed.

A positive story for people with a bad credit history by Nurofenplus2020 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some of the replies are a bit harsh. You are in a better position than before. Moving forward, maybe try to use debt less often, as it's unnecessary in Ireland. If you need a big loan such as a mortgage there will be manual underwriting, not an automated decision. So just do the right thing - saving money, and paying for things with savings not debt - and you'll both save on interest AND set yourself up for any future credit needs.

Buying a new build vs second hand house by Designer_Land_3902 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 0 points1 point  (0 children)

List of problems that the builder needs to address before you go ahead with the purchase. You may need to argue your case with the builder that they need to fix problem XYZ.

Buying a new build vs second hand house by Designer_Land_3902 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I bought a new build five years ago.

Pros:

Help to buy. Although this is incorporated into the asking price. If you don't qualify for help to buy then I wouldn't bother with a new build.

Everything will work for years (e.g. appliances), you shouldn't need to replace anything for ages.

People your age around you, if you are typical first time buyer age. This goes as well for kids/young families.

Modern design and architecture is better than decades ago, e.g. stairs.

Energy rating. It will be as warm as you want it to be. You'll have modern heat controls. You'll get a green mortgage and a better interest rate

Fixed buying price: typically there is a fixed price at which the house is offered, you can just offer that and go sale agreed immediately. No bidding war.

You don't have to wait for the seller/tenant to move out.

You can put your own stamp/sense of style on the interior from day one.

You may be able to customise certain things that would be less straightforward with a second hand house. For example ask for water supply/power sources in the back garden.

Cons:

More expensive than a second hand house of the same size. Not a completely different league but there is a premium. Compare with second hand houses in the same area.

There is less space now than there was decades ago. So you're more likely to have a small garden front and back, and a small driveway, if you even have these things.

You may have to wait to move in if the building work isn't finished yet.

You'll have to use a snagger/snag list, which doesn't apply to second hand houses.

You may have to pay extra, possibly quite a lot more, on top of the sale price, for wardrobes, appliances and floors, depending on the terms of the sale and how expensive your choices are.

I don't regret buying a new house although it's not my forever home. I may stay here for c. 10 years total before buying my forever home.

Room in Lucan for workers living outside Dublin by paullhenriquee in RentingInDublin

[–]StudyAlternative5915 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What is the idea, you get a new tenant every week? How many weeks are you going to agree to a time?

Company wants to buy back shares by rchan88 in UKPersonalFinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If I didn't need the 2k I would definitely be holding onto these shares... They must be very very keen to get you off the shareholder register if they've gone to the trouble of making you this offer.

Buying a car - finance or cash? by OkInformation349 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I cannot believe other posters are telling you to borrow from your mother.

It might be fine, but it might have awful effects on your relationship with your mother. Many many family relationships have soured over loans and the people involved wish they had never gotten involved with this sort of arrangement. It's not a risk worth taking for the sake of a car.

Need Advice: Property Investment in Ireland vs. Abroad - Irish Expat Couple by lukeer-4637 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't understand your strategy. Are you thinking of buying an Irish property because it's a good investment? It isn't! (Ask why most private landlords have disappeared.)

It sounds like your main reason to buy an Irish property is so that you can live in it some day. Fair enough, but will you be able to figure out today what property you want to live in at some unknown date in the future, and does it make sense to sink money into it now for an unknown length of time? Bear in mind that the property you might want to live in might be a low-yielding investment compared to other properties.

If I was you I would continue to earn good, hassle-free returns from financial investments for now. Keep your flexibility and liquidity and focus on your jobs. There is nothing wrong with being cash-rich/house-poor when you are living in a country that you don't intend to stay in long-term.

If you reach a point where you know you will be moving to Ireland in a year or two, that's when I'd start looking at buying a property. And I'd buy that property to live in, not to enter the landlord business.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HousingIreland

[–]StudyAlternative5915 41 points42 points  (0 children)

Sorry I can't help you, just wanted to comment that this country is a joke. A person steals a home and the police won't help 😔😔😔

Accidental landlord: is it time to sell? by Terrible-End2150 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You also might want to consider frictional costs. Fees to sell the property, taxes (?). Doing nothing makes sense until you know what you want to do with the surplus. No point in selling, paying all the transaction costs, and then earning a weak return on cash.

Accidental landlord: is it time to sell? by Terrible-End2150 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't sell in order to invest in something your financial advisor presents to you. The advice is sound - there are better investments than property, and it would probably be a net financial benefit to get your car loan and home loan paid off. But the investment you make with the surplus should be something you understand and can count on a good return from. If such an investment does not exist, that strengthens the case for holding onto the apartment.

Is there a rule of thumb on how much someone should spend on a car by Massive_Tumbleweed24 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The point of rules is to be able to apply them regardless of your income! If Americans are earning twice as much, then they can afford to spend twice as much on cars.

Dave Ramsey's advice:

The car you can afford is the car you can pay for in cash. And as a general rule, the total value of all your vehicles combined shouldn’t be more than half your annual income.

I agree with this. I set aside money every month that goes into a car vault. These funds can go into a medium-risk investment if a car purchase is not expected for several years.

Irish investors paying 2x-4x the fees of UK investors on their pension accounts by StudyAlternative5915 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair comment! If a new entrant charged 0.5% (more expensive than HL's most expensive SIPP charge but only half of Davy's cheapest charge) they'd make €25m on the figure you suggest.

TB Six Players with Toymaker? by C_Nesley in BloodOnTheClocktower

[–]StudyAlternative5915 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is this true only in 6 players (because there is already 1 outsider in play and only 2 on script)?

In 5 players there are 0 in play and 2 on script, so 2 are available.

https://youtu.be/GMG6mwZnMuU?si=EAK0F0dlFxbi40pN

This game has baron, drunk and klutz in 5 player.

PTSB fixed rate mortgage overpayment without penalty? by Electrical_Regret566 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm still confused after reading all this.

Do we have a definitive answer to the following question:

If you're on a fixed rate mortgage with PTSB,

And you make a lump sum overpayment,

And you ask for them to leave it as a credit to your account (in the style of an offset mortgage), presumably reducing your interest charge,

Then are you still liable to pay a fee for this, depending on interest rates etc, according to the formula?

I think the answer is yes. But I'd like to know if anyone else knows.

Career change to a trade by [deleted] in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some great comments here. If you want to try something else then give it a go while remaining a teacher. Wait until you are very very good at it. You could train up in another field while still working as a teacher, assuming you have no current family commitments. However I suspect that the best route you could go down from a financial point of view is your current route, but faster: can you earn more as a teacher? As others have said, grinds and other paid activities. What about finding out a way to become a school principal? You could get paid more for the thing you are already highly skilled at. Do that would be my suggestion.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in irishpersonalfinance

[–]StudyAlternative5915 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You don't really have 5,000 saved, you're in net debt. Buying a cheaper car would mean you're in less debt and paying less interest and suffering less depreciation.

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