20 years on from linking up with Sherry FitzGerald, P. Burke is grateful for loyal local support, and optimistic about Roscommon’s future…
As he celebrates 20 years in partnership with Sherry FitzGerald, well-known local auctioneer P. Burke is optimistic that County Roscommon can recover quickly from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sherry FitzGerald P. Burke officially opened its doors in Roscommon town 20 years ago this week, on the 9th of June, 2000.
The partnership has gone from strength to strength in the years since, with Sherry FitzGerald P. Burke now long established as one of the leading Estate Agents & Auctioneers in the region.
As he celebrates the 20th anniversary of the opening of Sherry FitzGerald P. Burke, P. Burke is taking a positive view of the economic and social outlook for a county which undoubtedly faces many challenges, not least due to the Covid-19 fallout.
Mr. Burke sings the praises of Roscommon town and county, and believes the great quality of life offered here can present an opportunity in the Covid era.
With many more people set to work from home in the coming months and years, he sees this cultural and societal change as a real opportunity for Roscommon’s towns and villages.
“When I look at the landscape in Roscommon, everything comes back to our great quality of life, and all the positives associated with living and working here” says this proud Roscommon man.
He cites, as examples, our free parking, excellent schools, quality shops, sporting, social and recreational facilities, and an extremely low crime rate.
“There is every prospect, with people changing their working habits, that more and more people will want to relocate from bigger urban areas. We are already fielding lots of enquiries from people, Roscommon natives and otherwise, who want to move here. It’s very positive”.
The news is invariably good for the people who make those enquiries – as houses here are very competitively priced.
- Burke says a new three-bedroomed residence in Roscommon town can be purchased for around €180,000. “It’s actually cheaper than building” he notes. He speculates that a property costing up to €400,000 in Dublin can be acquired here for around €220,000.
- Burke has a number of such properties available now, and is in fact looking for more, in order to meet current demand.
While he is confident and positive about the outlook for the county, he doesn’t for one moment underestimate the scale of the challenges presented by both Covid-19, and a general under-development of rural Ireland.
“Clearly we need to see balanced regional development, something which we have not experienced. This is urgently required, now more than ever, if our towns and villages are to have a chance of prospering. People want to live in places like Roscommon, and they have to be supported.
“While the broadband is good in some areas, it needs to be urgently improved in other parts of the county. I also feel that it would be timely for the Government to revisit the issue of decentralisation. We need more decentralisation to Roscommon. We need industry here. A factory with a couple of hundred jobs is long overdue for the county town”.
Mr. Burke would also like to see imaginative measures introduced to incentivise people to refurbish properties. Listening to him talk about Roscommon town and county is inspiring, as he emphasises all of the positive aspects of life here, and highlights the further potential of this area.
“We have to be positive. Yes, Covid is a challenge, but we have to fight it together. Local businesses must be supported. I also think that the Central Bank guidelines with regard to lending are too stringent, and need to be adjusted, as we need to get loans to people. We all need to help one another. We have a lot going for us. We live in a great place”.
