Latest census figures

Can we rely on the Census figures for empty houses.

Many people work away from home and may not have been at home when enumerators called, or even when they called back.

Nowadays neighbours may neither be willing nor able to volunteer information to callers

http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1004/housing.html

Among many statistics, this is probably the one the most reflects the impact on Breakfast Roll man.

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There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!
- Aaron Sorkin writing as President Bartlet to Obama, NYT 21/09/2008

You can't build a smart economy based on dumb decisions.
- Richard Bruton 18/12/2008

That is if he is lucky enough to sell his house. I heard an analyst talking about the american market and the sub-prime crisis. In assessing the crisis and the effect on the value of american property, he focused on the number of houses being sold, not the prices of the houses that were sold. The fall off in sales is the real big news - people can't trade up because they can't sell.

Well, how easy is it to tell the difference between a house that's empty because no-one lives there, and one that's empty because everyone is currently out?

Hmm. No curtains, no furniture, garden untended, leaves and other wind-blown rubbish where the occupants would normally walk, no sign of bins or bins clearly unused - temporarily empty, or vacant?

Appears on postal and TV license records as occupied, has furniture, stuff on windowsills, garden tended and rubbish swept away, bins outside or obviously used - temporarily empty, or vacant?

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Never let the best be the enemy of the good.

Also because of the extremely high number of foreclosures in the US ,there is a massive inventory of houses which the banks will sell at any price to get rid of them.
Those of good credit who make all thier mortgage payments cannot sell their houses as they are competing with for sale those who were financially reckless.
This is an impotant parrt of the contagion in the US real estate market

Good point.

It is a terrible pity that we have no estate agents that are listed on the Irish Stock Exchange. Their trading statemnts, profit warnings etc. would be a wonderful insight.

Am I right when I seem to recall an estate agent was listed say 5-10 years ago?

__________________
There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!
- Aaron Sorkin writing as President Bartlet to Obama, NYT 21/09/2008

You can't build a smart economy based on dumb decisions.
- Richard Bruton 18/12/2008

Yep, Ferry Sh1tzgerald

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"I'm not a member of the establishment" B Lenihan BL, T.D., Min for Fin, Son of Fmr Tanaiste Nephew of a fmr Dep leader of FF and min and brother of a Jun Min. Bertie made the Sheeple happy.

Apart form the exchequer returns (see below) on Stamp duty is there any published material on the number of house sales/activity as opposed to mere average prices?

"Reflecting the impact of the property slowdown, stamp duties were 13.8% below target - €401m lower, while the figure for capital gains taxes was €101m below forecasts."

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We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don't know we don't know.

Can anyone find a breakdown on stamp duty to see how much relates to the housing market.

There is for instance stamp duty on buying shares and I think there was a revenue case a few years ago that extended it to related transactions.

__________________
There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!
- Aaron Sorkin writing as President Bartlet to Obama, NYT 21/09/2008

You can't build a smart economy based on dumb decisions.
- Richard Bruton 18/12/2008