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“IT OVERLOOKS A lovely green area where kids play after school, it’s very airy and it’s in a beautiful village,” says Edward O’Neill of his four-bed home in Kilworth, Co Cork.
“Cork city is a 30-minute drive away, it’s a great spot. I shouldn’t be leaving it at all, but I am.”
After buying 116 Pairc na gCapall in 2010 and living in Cork for 30 years, Edward is selling his semi-detached home to move back to his home county of Tipperary. “I’ve recently retired and I’m moving on to a different phase in my life now. That’s the only reason I’m selling,” he says.
Edward put the house up for sale with Lorraine Spillane Auctioneers, based in Fermoy, and opened the house to online offers with Offers by Daft. This new free platform from Daft.ie, Ireland’s largest property search site, provides transparency and flexibility to home buyers, agents and sellers.
Buyers can place and track offers whenever suits them, and can be confident in knowing that other bidders are genuine. “It gives everyone a fair chance,” says Lorraine.
The biggest benefit for her as an agent, she says, is that all parties involved receive an email if there are any changes in the sale. “There is a lot more control over the emails back and forth,” she says. “I’m notified, the owner is notified, the bidder is notified. It’s all very quick and efficient, which is important in this current market. Bidders can see in real time exactly when the offers are coming in.”
“Bidders can see in real time exactly when the offers are coming in. I’ve had situations where two couples have put offers in all day long without any input from me.”
For Edward, the process provides him with peace of mind. “It’s about clarity,” he says. “It’s about being upfront, open and transparent.”
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With all interested buyers being verified before they place an offer, Edward says there’s comfort in knowing that bidders are genuine and “in good hands”.
Since moving into the property 12 years ago, Edward has carried out multiple updates throughout the home, leaving it in showhouse condition for its new owners. The updates include the addition of a Stira stairs and flooring in the attic (it’s ideal for storage, he says), and landscaping the south-facing rear garden.
With working from home becoming the norm for many people, Edward also converted the fourth bedroom into an office with a built-in desk and shelving. “The office is to the front of the house and overlooks the green area,” he says. “There’s great internet coverage, and it’s an excellent space for work.”
At ground floor level, the accommodation comprises a large living area, a south-facing open-plan kitchen/diner, a utility room and a bathroom. On the first floor, there are three double bedrooms (one complete with an en suite), a home office and the family bathroom.
No 116 also benefits from newly tiled flooring and walls in the main bathroom, as well as new carpet on the stairs and landing. At 1,300 sq ft the property enjoys a spacious feel throughout, with this being further complemented by being the last in a row of semi-detached houses.
Buyers with young children are sure to appreciate the school and GAA club located just across the road, while Fermoy town offers an abundance of shops, restaurants and other amenities – and is just a 10-minute drive away.
Priced at €295,000, the property is open for online offers on Daft now. With an offer already in, Lorraine says the feature allows vendors to have “full control” over what they sell their house for as they’re “continuously kept in the loop.”
“It’s transparent for everyone. You can see how many bidders there are, whether you’re up against the same people or there are new bidders getting involved. It gives everyone clarity.”
With Offers by Daft, buyers can place and track offers anytime, anywhere and from any device – with the security of knowing that other bidders are genuine. Find out more about Offers by Daft here.
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Sorry but it’s not acceptable to look up other people’s personal information if you’ve no need for it just because you’re nosey. It may be human nature but if they’re guards they have to put their position of trust over they’re eagerness to have a snoop at a model’s records. How are the public expected to have faith in the gardai with that kind of carry-on? Disappointed but not surprised, tbh.
Exactly the attitude that is slowly eroding people’s concept of privacy.
So if it was you that was snooped on by… oh.. say… ME then that’s also ok?
Maybe I’ll come over and look through your bedroom window and all.
Random guards should not be accessing this information… They are human like everyone else.. What’s stopping them blabbing this information to the general public after a few pints… Only certain personal should have access rights to pulse.
This opinion in the report is wholly inadequate an unacceptable. That there were also searches on RTE people suggests a more sinister purpose. Having info on various people immediately empowers those with the info and can ‘encourage’ a particular slant when needed. This information can ales be a valuable resource to certain elements in the media. Personally I think aspects of this report is damning but has been dressed up to appear otherwise probably on the suggestion of a certain commissioner.
Yaya
But the whole point at issue is that the whistle blowers repeatedly mined information from Pulse and shared it with the “public” AFTER they had made their official complaints.
That is the point made by the Garda Commissioner and now supported by Commissioner Hawkes and of course……………….Minister Shatter.
Why do we want one law for one Garda and a different law for another?
That actually doesn’t make sense Neal. You can say ‘they signed up for it’ and ‘they took an oath’ until the cows come home. They’re humans like the rest of us and no malice intended is enough for me. When a person doesn’t mean or intend to do anything improper how on earth do you ‘expect more’ ?
Is it possible for a citizen to make an application to view what information is being stored about them on the pulse system? Or would one have to ask a garda friend (if possible) to check it out for them?
Freedom of info request is all you need and a lot of patience while the Blueshirts huff puff,delay,spout Bull about national security andtry everything in their power to make you give up and go away.
I got a list of some of my interactions with the Gardaí, not all of them, which indicates AGS are very selective about what they put on PULSE and gives some credence to the question Maurice McCabe asked about innocent people being set up.
For anybody who feels they are under a suspect investigation, the only way you can confirm that you are is to fill in an FOI form and wait for a reply that states they cannot provide you with information while an investigation is pending. Instruct a solicitor to request details of the allegation, and after they give up, redo an FOI request to see what was put on PULSE.
Very revealing in my case. Billy Hawkes will hear about it when GSOC has access to PULSE.
Edel,
The point is you can now prove when they are making it up. Ian Baileys legal team are hammering out rights to access PULSE data.
For those who have nothing to fear from their own actions, letting sleeping dogs lie is to allow those who own the dogs to get away with scienter. Most dogs wake up.
You’re new to the idea of data protection, Pat James.
Worryingly, when you say “your file” – you don’t say PULSE.
I am very well known to Gardaí, which doesn’t bother me. It’s what some Gardaí said they knew about me that creates the problem.
Wonder did she get a report on the results—Seriously though there is a model out there who has had her constitutional right to privacy abused on more than 80 occasions—and all we hear is that a few coppers were disciplined.Hawkes ASSUMES that it was idle curiosity or snooping—this is not very satisfactory–he should be able to make a much more definitive statement.
And will the Gardai who did the snooping be sacked, doubt it. I worked in an irish retail bank, the temptation was always there to look up celebs, friends, neighbours etc bank balance. However, what stopped the majority was knowing that if found out your job would almost certainly be gone
It’s good to know that the only thing stopping you was the fear of getting caught. Wouldn’t want bank staff to be impeded by a sense of right and wrong.
The names of the Gardai who looked up these records are known and if they were not supposed to there is a simple solution, sack them like any other bad employee.
Because the top rank of Gardai were quashing penalty points for their friends in high places by the dozen the Gardai at the bottom were just having a look who next was going to get off it’s a terrible pity more snooping was not done never know what friends were been let of , I am delighted the big boys were caught out .
I work in the public sector and totally agree with that comment, it baffles me how bad employees cannot be sacked in the public service. It would make my life a whole lot easier if they could do a massive clear out of the lazy, dead weight time wasters.
Alan what you do with the big boys at the top who started it all one thing here is certain the guys at the top get away Scott free while a example is made out of the guys at the bottom .
A work colleagues husband is a Garda. They are in the process of building a house by direct labour. He has checked every potential contractor on Pulse and also their vehicle registration. That is wrong. I’m sure he’s not the only one doing it either
Checking of daughters boyfriends, house tenants etc etc etc. All considered normal and acceptable in our above the law and ethics be damned police service.
@SeanieRyan; You are absolutely OBSESSED with guards. Every article that in any way relates to them is littered with comments from you underneath it. What does this vendetta stem from?!
This is unbelievable! There are no rules against accessing people’s details without a valid operational reason!? The ways this can be abused are unending.
There have been prosecutions and sackings in the UK police for this very behaviour, why on earth do we not have similar laws protecting us?
Because we are Irish. Because our parliament is full of self-interested pot hole fillers. Because we don’t do professionalism in our public services. Because …
I am at a complete loss as to why this doesn’t severely p!ss people off.
I support the Guards, I don’t trust individual Guards to ignore their own selfish interests. Accessing details outside of their job scope is so incredibly wrong I’m amazed people aren’t more angry.
Course the deflecting headline (ooh, they looked up a model) has managed to divert the attention away from the fact that this SHOULD be a serious breach of the publics privacy.
Retired Gadai were being employed by Insurance firms to check on insurance claims and people making claims were regularly checked…..gives you the cutting edge in court cases you know…..wink wink
Why do we only ever hear from Hawkes when he’s got something damning to say ? Quiet the autocrat. And who audits his office on data protection matters ? They must have a load of data in there with no legitimate reason for having it. Either that or their paper shredding bill must be through the roof.
Tony
That’s an ignorant comment to make. The Commissioner was commenting on the results of a statutory audit into the Gardai which is the principal function of his role as Data Commissioner.
Richard
If the Garda report had no findings do you think Hawkes would be out saying that’s the way to do it and others should follow the example ? No he wouldn’t because he has no interest in productivity, he’s completely reactive and always has been.
Surely the Gardas are subject to the same data protection rules as every other person in the state. I had to sign data protection stuff in several jobs regarding non disclosure of information and inappropriate use (including access), it seems just because you wear a uniform and carry a badge you are some how exempted. Access should be by request only if this sort of carry on exists
No disrespect to them but I can understand why any guard goes into work and does anything. Surely they can go in keep their head down do sfa and pick up their check at the end of the month. Like from what I’ve read lately if they use pepper spray handcuffs, batons, arrest someone who has connections politicians wealthy folk or even toerags with a politician on speed dail they get in serious trouble. Now their being restricted on pulse access, I for one have nothin to hide bar I’ve been a victim of crime I doubt I’m on their system. I think they should be able to look up celebrities and politicians etc, at least it means someone’s watchin them. Anyway if I were them I’d do nothin and still get paid.
So the Data Protection Comission selected celebrities and other ‘well known’ persons to look up to see if they were being looked up? Are they exempt from the legislation? Surely they cannot pick random people and go on a fishing expedition to see if those names are being accessed? Were complaints made to the Data Protection Commission from the same people they looked up beforehand? If it was me I haven’t given any person to look me up without my consent and I include the Data Protection staff in this.
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