A desirable life in Douglas

ONE of the those inner Douglas desirables, in this case a post-war semi in solid but quite original state, will create a bit of excitement among those not afraid to roll up their sleeves - or pay others to do it all for them.

Wayside is a large-ish, circa 1,400 sq ft semi-detached house on Trabeg Lawn, off the back Douglas Road in need of a make-over. It hasn't really been touched, modernised or invested in, but has had underpinning work, so those who now buy can at least see their further investment stacking up above ground level.

Unlike the grids of estates between the front and back Douglas Roads which carry cross-traffic, Trabeg Lawn is a cul de sac, of less than dozen homes. It faces east, which means its back garden has that favoured westerly aspect, and the fact it is on the city side of Douglas also means that the worst of Douglas' traffic problems are on the other side of the village, on the Donnybrook/Frankfield, Maryborough and Rochestown accesses.

Estate agent Denis Guerin prices Wayside at €440,000 and acknowledges its relative tiredness, but goes up-beat saying "when you invest further here, you are going to get exactly what you want." As it stands, the house has two good reception rooms, a kitchen, guest loo, and four overhead bedrooms plus bathroom.

It hasn't got central heating, and the original windows are still in situ: a quick walk on Trabeg Lawn and Tramore Lawn across the road will give a new owner a flavour of what replacements or remedies best suit their taste and the house type.

Renovations could be tackled, or overseen, by an enthusiastic amateur on a piecemeal basis, but the likelihood at this price level is that a buyer will simply move the builders in when they get the key.

There's a decent bit of front garden, west-facing back garden, walled behind (the road to Glencurrig and Nemo's amazing new sports facilities runs behind), it has off-street parking, a detached garage that may be integrated into some extension, and the hall has an oak floor waiting for TLC and waxing.

A similar house, on the corner of Trabeg Lawn, was 'sale-agreed' with ERA Downy McCarthy Murphy for over €500,000. In nearby Baltimore Lawn a flood of viewers to a four-bed semi in super-smart order listed with Sherry Fitzgerald in the past two weeks means its certain to sail past its initial €500,000 price guide. Where Wayside, with a lot to do but everything to gain, ends up will be keenly watched by those planning to make the move to 'inner Douglas'.