A BURNT-OUT, boarded-up house in Finglas went viral online this week after it was put on the market with an asking price of €225,000.

It’s “part of the problem” and a “case study” for why we’re in the middle of a housing crisis, according to local TD Rory Hearne, who also happens to be a housing expert who’s written extensively about the subject in recent years. 

The house has gone on sale nearly six months after it was severely damaged in a suspected arson attack. The home, located in the middle of Deanstown Green, was engulfed in flames during the incident in April.

Gardaí said in a statement at the time they were treating incident as “criminal damage”.

Now, the house remains visibly damaged. The top floor windows are broken, the front door is boarded up, and burn marks are visible on the facade.

A broken window of the property. Andrew Walsh / The Journal Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal

Ray Cooke Auctioneers, the agency trying to sell the house, describe the property as a “house in need of full renovation”.

When asked by The Journal about the listing, a spokesperson said that the agency couldn’t discuss it. 

“It’s listed on our social media channels,” they added. 

A video posted to the agency’s Instagram and TikTok accounts this week shows an estate agent describing the house as a “fantastic opportunity for anyone looking for a project or investment”.

The inherent contrast betwen the sales pitch and the recent history of the house has resulted, somewhat predictably, in much criticism and discussion online – with some social media users also making remarks about the Finglas area in general. 

‘Part of the problem’

Rory Hearne, Social Democrats housing spokesperson and local TD, questioned the logic of marketing the property as an investment opportunity.

“To entirely rebuild or renovate that home is going to cost hundreds of thousands of euro, so the idea that the site is being marketed as an ‘opportunity’ is jarring,” Hearne said.

“It may even need to be demolished,” he added.

The average house price in Finglas over the last year was €316,942, according to Proper.ie – meaning that the burnt-out house in question is just over €90,000 below the standard cost of a house in the area.

The €225,000 property is also more expensive than the average home price in seven counties outside Dublin last year.

Hearne, who penned a 2022 book about the housing crisis called Gaffs before he was elected to the Dáil and was an Associate Professor at Maynooth University, is a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

He noted that the auctioneers appear to be aiming the listing at investors rather than potential homeowners.

“Homes should be for people, not just investment assets. The way estate agents market properties, and the role of bidding in inflating prices, needs to be looked at,” Hearne said.

Why is it always about maximising the price? That kind of approach is inflationary and it drives up house prices.

“Estate agents aren’t just trying to sell a property, their job is to get the maximum price possible. And that’s a part of the problem and partly why we’re in this crisis, because the whole system treats housing as an investment asset, not as a basic human need,” Hearne added.

“We need to shift the focus back to providing affordable homes for people to live in, not just profits for investors.”