Young couples, including a woman nursing her newborn, are among the crowd of people waiting desperately in the rain to put their names down for homes that will go on sale at the end of the week. 

House hunters eager to get a foot on the property ladder have been lining up outside the sales office of a new housing development in Dublin 15.

The houses at Beechwood Heath in Hansfield, West Dublin aren't on sale until Friday.

In scenes reminiscent of the Celtic Tiger, some eager house-hunters have been queuing in the rain with blankets and deck chairs since Monday morning at 6.30am.

“I saw one young couple here for a few hours on Monday and they were taking turns in and out of the car to queue, but they had a young baby and the mother was breastfeeding the child. I felt sorry for them because they had to give up on the queue,” a local man told the Irish Independent.

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The 24 homes, which range in price between €300,000 ($370,000) for a three bedroom and €500,000 ($617,000) for a four bedroom, are due to go on sale at the end of this week.

The potential buyers pleaded with the sales staff to issue them with numbered tickets so they will not have to wait all week outside. Local residents have even been giving those waiting in line some food and allowing them to use their bathrooms.

Buyers will have to put a refundable €2,000 deposit on the new houses.

“We have an orderly agreed queue here, and we all know where each other are in it, so we think the selling agents should do the right thing and give us tickets. Our lives are on hold while we are here,” a young mother told the newspaper.

When asked would they be starting a ticket system, the sales agents told the publication that they will not be commenting on the matter.