54-acre residential property near Kinsale may sell in lots

By Conor Power

According to the well-worn adage, the three most important factors when selling a property are location, location, and location.

This is not always the case with agricultural land, but location is certainly going to play a big part, one feels, in the sale of a 54-acre residential farm near Oysterhaven, Co Cork.

The property is jointly listed with Hodnett-Forde in Clonakilty and Roy Dennehy of Dennehy Auctioneers in Carrigaline.

Here, the land is good and the proximity of Cork City plus the coastal scenery make it a sweet spot in terms of demand.

The holding is just 5.5km from Kinsale, 2km from Oysterhaven, and only a 20-minute drive from Cork city.

Boasting good road frontage, the farm is laid out in large divisions and will easily lend itself to sub-division, should market demand dictate the property being sold in lots.

Given the gold rush for good houses in the area in recent years, one imagines that the house will be sold separately.

“There is some hilly land in the holding, but not a major amount of it,” says Ernest Forde of Hodnett-Forde.

“There’s just a stretch across the middle of it which is a bit hilly but it’s all workable and the rest of it is all good land. It’s south-facing and well drained, and it would make either good tillage or grassland. It hasn’t been farmed intensively over the last few years, and it’s mainly in grass at the moment.”

According to the selling agents, aside from the good degree of road frontage with the property, there is an excellent internal road system that gives access to all the fields.

“It’s a good, solid roadway,” says Ernest.

There isn’t any slurry storage, but there is a good, solid shed, a three-bay round roof shed. In addition, there are two lean-to buildings, with a concrete yard and a cattle crush. All are in sound and usable condition, ready to go for the next owner.

The dwelling is a very good quality, attractive house, built within the last decade or so.

The stone-faced two-storey dormer dwelling occupies a position close to the road, making it very feasible to purchase separately, either with or without the outbuildings.

The accommodation includes entrance hall, study, kitchen, utility room, bathroom and sitting room on the ground floor, with a bathroom and four bedrooms (two of which have en-suite facilities) on the first floor.

There is a substantial detached garage beside it, and the finish inside is very good.

“It’s a substantial house,” says Ernest, “a very good quality house.”

Overall, this is a property that will certainly attract as much interest from the non-farming community as from farming circles, and it will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

“We’re hoping that this property will be of interest to non-farmers too but, with this area, one would never know.”

This is certainly the case because the lands in this area are rich, and with great access to local markets, ports and airports. At the same time, it is an area in high demand for those on the lookout for a nice holiday home or a permanent home close to the sea.

As for the price, the land is expected to fetch in the region of €12,000 per acre, according to the selling agents.

This is a reasonable expectation, given that land in the area has achieved as much as €15,000/acre, in the right circumstances. In this case, the land is sloping, so it is unlikely to make the top price.

The house with its natural curtilage around it is guiding at €480,00, again, quite a reasonable option for someone considering moving into this part of the world.