Quotes of the Week

"We maintain the view that, while housing will remain in contraction for some time, any significant worsening is unlikely.” - Pat McArdle, Chief Economist, Ulster Bank.

“We continue to believe that, for the market as a whole, an average price adjustment of some 15-20% from the peak is on the cards.” – AIB Housing Market Bulletin

"The correction may not be complete, but my own view is that it's possibly more complete than has been said." - Mark FitzGerald, Chief Executive, Sherry FitzGerald.

"Some 40pc of people think property prices will fall. Clearly, there has been a swing in people's mood between this year and last." - Pat Farrell, Irish Banking Federation.

‘‘Given how difficult and challenging the market already is, and the fact that by next month we will be into the summer slowdown period, I don’t see a rate rise having any great effect on prices.” – Paul Murgatroyd, Economist, Douglas Newman Good.

"On the one hand, the National Consumer Agency demands that we provide very specific information about property prices. On the other, the Data Protection Act prohibits us from releasing that information without the consent of both seller and buyer. This consent is not always available, as many private citizens do not want that information to become public." – Edward Carey, President, IAVI.

“Last September Cushman & Wakefield’s European Cities Monitor found that top executives ranked Dublin 12th out of 33 cities in terms of value for money office accommodation. This was followed two weeks ago by the Lisney Rental Indices which found that office rents had remained stable during 2007. With the global economy slowing and with Ireland’s cost competitiveness now coming into sharper focus, this is clearly good news for corporate occupiers.” - Dr. John McCartney, Head of Research, Lisney.

“The issues relating to water and drainage infrastructure are no longer an obstacle to progress and that work on transport infrastructure is well under way, as part of an urban framework plan to which we are contributing that will allow development at Sandyford to begin again.” - Garry Colligan, spokesman, Sandyford Stakeholders Forum.