Best kept suburban secret out in the open

FLUSHED with the success of a recent sale, auctioneer Billy Casey of Casey and Kingston has another large, detached property for sale in the western suburbs.

The agent probably netted the sale of the summer last month when he sold Dunorlan in Laburnum Park for a whopping 1.3 million.

The modern five-bed started at €750,000 and within weeks was bid up to its selling price. It's as good an indication as any of the strength of the market west of the city, where development is ring-fenced by the County Council's Green Belt policy.

Which leaves very few properties in an area where there's high demand, especially in the mid to upper level.

On the market two to three weeks now, an older detached property, Barna, on the Model Farm Road is bid close to its asking price of €900,000 with viewings continuing, says selling agent Brendan Quinlan of HOK.

Further down the road, Brian Olden of Lisney sold Liosbán, a four-bed detached for the asking price of €900,000 last month.

Which now leaves Ivy Cottage to mop up the last surge of the season's buyer. Located in Cherry Grove, one of those "best kept secret" estates, it has a choice location on the Model Farm Road and weighs in at a guide price of €750,000.

In good condition, this neo-Georgian red-brick has five bedrooms, two formal reception rooms, a well-fitted kitchen, utility, office and family room. This amounts to 3,000 square feet of space, enough to be getting along with, without including the attached garage. On the upper floor, the landing gives out onto the roof of the garage, which, with the addition of a deck, could make a great roof terrace.

The gardens are mature and with lots of trees and shrubs, they frame the house and give it great privacy.

Ivy Lodge comes with teak windows and heating is oil-fired, but gas is an option in the area.