Cottage comes at a price

CAN you imagine what previous inhabitants of this cottage Sandycove must think of the asking price?

At €350,000, it's quite a guide for a property that probably hasn't changed much in over two centuries.

Right now it doesn't have running water or a bathroom and runs to the size of a small apartment at 550 square feet but it does have a telephone line and electricity.

Sometimes it takes sales like this one to point out just how ludicrous our spiralling property values really are. Just imagine how non-plussed that farm labourer from the last century would be at his property's current values?

From being bottom of the pile to piles of money is quite a jump for the humble four-roomed dwelling.

And the reason? The cottage is just across the road from the water at Sandycove, one of the most discrete residential destinations in Kinsale. It sits on a site of one-third of an acre in an area with really tight planning permission so having a dwelling in place is a huge boon.

Queues of viewers have been already, says Patricia O'Regan of Sheehy Brothers, and while offers are still hovering around the €300,000 mark, she expects the guide to be reached in the short term.

And the accommodation?

One room with half-door to the outside: this measures 15' by 11' has a bellows and crane and is followed by rooms two and three which are both 9' by 7'4". The final room is 15' by 9' and has an open fireplace.

Outside, there's a shower room of 9' by 6' but no independent water supply.

Just wait and see how it turns out in a year or so's time.