u/XevinKex

Hi, I'm looking to buy my first home. My requirements are:

• 2 beds, 2 bathrooms
• Budget of 550k though I could potentially stretch that a bit if really needed.
• Reasonably good commute ~30-35 minutes cycle to the St Stephen's Green-ish area.
• BER of C or higher.
• I've been using https://coastal.climatecentral.org/coastal-risk-finder and avoiding areas that are considered flood zones by 2050. I might just be paranoid but considering the current state of climate change...
• A non-absurd management fee, I understand lifts and maintaining an apartment are expensive but some of the ones I see are just absurd, I'm aiming for at least below 3.8k.

So far, in terms of area, I've been looking at:

• Sandyford: I like the location and the price is within my budget but I'm pretty concerned about the quality. Most of the apartments I see are either in the Beacon South Quarter complex e.g. Cubes, Edges, which I've heard had huge issues with water ingress and fire safety. I'm not sure if these have been resolved or if there are any issues with other apartments nearby like the Forum or Beacon One.
• Booterstown/Blackrock/Stillorgan: Significantly more pricy, but the area does seem good and I don't think there's any history of huge issues like the Beacon South Quarter (of course, would still need a good solicitor and surveyor to look through the place). I've also heard Booterstown can be pretty stinky in the summer due to the nearby marsh.
• Smithfield/Stoneybatter: Good area and I like how close it is to everything. Downsides is that it seems like management fees are significantly more expensive in this area and there's not many apartments that fit my requirements.

I'm mainly looking to see if anybody else has had experience buying/living in one of these areas and what their thoughts are. And also are there other areas I should be looking at. Thanks for any help you can give.