Longford auctioneer insists planning issues need to be tackled to help ease housing crisis

The newly appointed IPAV President, Longford auctioneer Fintan McGill, has stated 'planning needs to be looked at' to address the crisis situation and lack of available properties in county Longford and the country.

Fintan McGill, Managing Director of DNG McGill Carrick-on-Shannon was appointed as President of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers & Valuers (IPAV) on Thursday, May 29.

The body represents more than 1,500 auctioneers, valuers and estate agents nationwide and the business owner has over 20 years of experience within the property sector. Fintan is a long-standing member of the institute of professional auctioneers and valuers (M.I.P.A.V) and a council member representing the Leinster area on the M.I.P.A.V panel. He is also a Recognised European Valuer (R.E.V) and involved with The National Association of Realtors (NAR) in USA and he is the only NAR member in Longford.

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"My main goals over the next year is I want to build and enhance the professional standard we have and the education for agents, going forward, that's one of the big things and support our members around the country," he added.
Fintan said the big this year is housing and the lack of housing.

"It is a crisis and we need to look at planning, I think planning officers need to start being allowed to do their job and grant planning permission.”

Fintan believes there is a huge problem with property supply and demand in Ireland and that is an area he would like to see progress in with a focus on planning legislation.

Fintan said there are a huge amount of restrictions on farming families and local people who he believes should be able to build one off houses.

"Even though your father might have a farm and he has 40 acres you still won't get planning permission because they ask you to jump through so many hoops, the whole thing needs to be looked at.”

Fintan is hugely involved in the local community and was elected president of the Longford Chamber of Commerce for the two year term between 2015 -2017.

He continues to work within the Chamber as a member and contributes towards organising many local events within the County of Longford.

Fintan, who is originally from Rockcorry, between Cootehill and Monaghan town has had an interesting and successful career in both the private and public sector.

He said last year he was asked to sell the biggest ever residential sale of a group of houses in county Longford and he believes that sale highlighted the challenges that auctioneers can face in an ever-evolving market.

"We were asked to sell 23 houses up in Oaklands on the Ballinalee Road and the instructions to us was they just wanted one buyer, that was it.

"The stamp duty for you to buy a house is 1% but once you get to nine houses or more the stamp duty is 10%.

"I had the deal done and just before we were about to sign the Budget came in and it put on another 5%."

Fintan said the purchaser called him within 15-minutes of the Budget speech and he informed them that he could not go ahead.

"It ended up we had to go back to the vendor, reduce the price and there was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing but the Government got nearly half a million euro out of that sale."

Fintan started out as a draughtsman in Cavan and he served his time back in 1972 and he stated that was where he got the 'grá' for the business.

"I ended up in the public service then for 27 years and I left then in 2,000 and I went back to college. I did my IPAV exams at the University of Galway and the rest is history."

His unique membership with NAR allows the firm to market property in the USA giving the company an added advantage no other firm has within Longford. and he said he is passionate about working in the sector.

"I love the job, if I could work seven days a week at it I would.

"I arrive at work at 7am in the morning and I work until maybe 7pm at night and then I do my accounts when I get home.
"I love the thing of meeting people, the people who are buying and selling houses are nice people.

"It's a huge responsibility and people put a lot of trust in you to sell their home.

"A lot of people are very conscious and they might say they want a nice family to buy their home as they have been in the community for 20 or 30 years."

The ceremonial aspect of the presidential appointment will take place at the IPAV conference on Friday.

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