Showhouse showtime

IT’S Showtime. Lucky for some, 13 former showhouses in new developments in Cork totalling 1,384 new homes hit the market next week in a sell-off of ready to go houses.

With new phases at Mount Oval Village in Rochestown coming on stream and new contemporary showhouses needed, seven fully furnished show units there are up for grabs, as well as showhouses that have done the selling business for developers O'Flynn Construction in Marwood, Glanmire, and Old Court, Greenfields on the Killumney Road.

Prices range from E250,000 to E550,000, and buyers get turnkey houses in finished phases, with landscaped gardens, neighbours all moved in and, importantly, free of stamp duty costs. They are an easy buy, and there's always a steady stream of takers for such easy purchases even if the marginal downside is that thousands of people have been through the front door before youof what may become your private home.

So, who does take the short-cut route to a finished product and buy the showhouses? "A variety of people, but mostly those looking for a turn-key opportunity with the benefit of it being interior designed top to toe," says Trish Stokes, who is in charge of new homes sales in Sherry FitzGerald in Cork and who was just appointed a director of the company this week.

"People are so busy these days and will do anything to avoid the hassle of starting to furnish a house," she says.

All of the three schemes represented here in the 13 showhouses sell-off have shown very strong capital appreciation since the developments were first launched.

"They represent 'value for money' to lots of buyers, but obviously they are paying for the fact that everything is done for them," admits Ms Stokes.

Seven varied show units are on offer at Mount Oval Village, now well past the half-way mark and this scheme will see 870 houses built in all in about three years time. Further phases are to come to market shortly, but now for sale are: a B type in Dewberry of 2,090 sq ft and with four bedrooms for E550,000, a five-bed three-storey 1,920 sq ft C type at E510,000, and a D type four-bed of 1,540 sq ft at E480,000. In Clonlea Village in Rochestown's Mount Oval, a three-bed townhouse of 1,058 sq ft is 310,00, two two-beds of 760 and 840 sq ft are each E255,000, and a one-bed of 580 sq ft is E220,000.

In Glanmire, with the Marwood development finished and 15 detached new homes yet to launch nearby in Glyntown from E385,000, Sherry Fitzgerald are selling three show homes, a four-bed detached of 1,344 sq ft for $325,000, a smaller four-bed semi for E295,000 and a three-bed semi for E285,000.

And, in Killumney's Old Court, the last section of the 265-house Greenfields development which included serviced sites, show house prices range from 270,000 for a four-bed 1,300 sq ft semi to E260,000 and E250,000 for three-bed semis.