The year 2021 started with offices closed and Ireland in lockdown. O’Donnellan & Joyce continued to stream its auctions live online by David Brandt Studios and used video tours of all its auction properties which enabled people to purchase homes without physically viewing them. Despite bidders not being able to attend auctions in person, this did not dampen their enthusiasm to buy and they continued to bid online and by phone to secure the property of their dreams.
O’Donnellan & Joyce’s live stream online bidding platform attracted international bidders as well as national and local bidders who could now bid and view the auction from the comfort of their own homes, leading to a dramatic expansion of audiences across the world. With properties for sale throughout the year dominated by Galway city and county but also throughout the entire country from Donegal down to Cork and Mayo to Wexford, sales were reported from all four provinces. Colm O’Donnellan, auctioneer and senior partner at O’Donnellan & Joyce, commented: “Our formula works because bidders enjoy the tremendous excitement of a live auction while still being able to bid from the comfort of their own homes and offices.”
ODJ offered eight live stream auctions in 2021 with in excess of €23 million in sales being achieved and more than 200 lots being sold. Stand out moments of O’Donnellan & Joyce 2021 auctions include the following.
The February 26 auction had total sales of €1,592,000 with nine lots offered for sale. Highlights included No 4 Walsh’s Terrace, Woodquay, a four bed mid-terrace house which needed total refurbishment, sold for €454,000; No 18 Sylvan Drive, Fairlands Park, a detached four bed near the university, sold for €389,000; and Ballyquirke West, Moycullen, a detached three storey house, sold for €355,000.
April 16 had total sales of €2,721,500 with 27 properties for sale. Highlights included No 135 Bohermore, Galway, a perfect three bed modernised mid-terrace home, sold for 270,000; and a one bed first floor apartment at No 14B Doughiska Road, Galway, sold for €120,000. In Dublin a two bed apartment at No 255 Wyckham Point, Dundrum, sold for €415,000; and another two bed at No 101 Milltown Hall, Mount St Anne’s, Milltown, Dublin 6, sold for €470,000.
June 4 reported total sales of € 4,285,000 with 41 properties offered for sale. The star sellers were No 106 Seacrest, Knocknacarra, sold for €364,000, a detached house that needed full renovation and modernisation. In Roundstone, Connemara, a single storey house known as ‘The Box’ in Errisbeg sold for €600,000, which was €250,000 in excess of the reserve price.
July 23 grossed €4,076,000 with 34 properties offered. Some best sellers included a beautifully decorated cottage at Fawnmore, Inishbofin, which sold for €250,000; and a ground floor retail unit at No 19 Briarhill Business Park, sold for €510,000. July’s auction also featured a number of property sales in County Mayo sold on behalf of the Office of Public Works (OPW ). Two former Garda stations in Hollymount and Ballyglass that need total refurbishment sold for €138,000 and €92,000 respectively, and a former DEASP office sold on Prospect Avenue in Westport for €395,000.
September 17 was the highest grossing auction of the year with 34 properties offered and sales of €4,800,000 generated. Great results all round included No 4 Newcastle Court, Galway, a first floor three bed apartment, which sold for €345,000. Also a two storey building at Unit 10–12 Sea Road, Galway, sold for €340,000. A charming semidetached house at No 11 Water Lane, Galway, sold for €232,000, and a cottage at Funachree, Roundstone, sold for €460,000.
October 22 had 18 properties listed and €2,300,000 worth of property sold. City centre prices were strong with a beautifully finished terraced house at No 3 Bowling Green selling for €443,000, which was €93,000 above the asking price. A mid-terrace city centre two-storey at No 3 St Anthony’s Place, Woodquay, sold for €314,000, and a former crèche in Killora, Craughwell, sold for €390,000 prior to auction.
November 19 had €2,400,000 in sales with 14 properties on offer. Notable sales included a three bed first floor city centre apartment at No 3 Hynes Yard, Merchants Road, Galway, which sold for €295,000; and a three bed bungalow close to the border and near Dundalk, County Louth, sold for €195,000.
December 10 was the finale of eight auctions in 2021 and listed 13 properties with €847,000 in sales generated. Highlights of the auction included a detached house at Laragh, Attymon, Co Galway, which sold for €254,000. No 14B Doughiska Road, Galway, was a one bed first floor apartment in a block of four which sold for €120,000. Also a three bed apartment at No 8 Yeats Village in Ballinode, Sligo, sold for €117,000, being €22,000 over the reserve price.
Auction dates are already lined up for 2022 with the first of the year scheduled for Friday, February 25.
