Affordable penthouse apartments on offer

PENTHOUSES for €270,000 anyone? Four apartments, just released at An Caisleán in Ballincollig, Co Cork, not only come in at an affordable level, but two have balconies larger than the apartments themselves.

The three blocks of 54 units by Frinailla Ltd at Ballincollig were sold off the plans at this time last year and there are now just four units on offer as re-sales, but prior to contract. This means they won't accrue heavier levels of stamp duty and will appeal to owner-occupiers and investors.

One of the penthouses is a two-bedroom unit of 830 square feet, but it also has a whopping, wraparound balcony/terrace of 1,100 square feet bigger than most back gardens. And it's south-west facing and is just one of three centred around a central roof garden at the top of the apartment block. The price for this unit is €295,000 through Pat Clancy of Global Properties. And he says the finish will be great, with gas heating as standard: the units are expected to be liveable by February.

The second unit on offer is a duplex with balcony and the third is a penthouse duplex. These have 1,500 square feet of space apiece, including balcony/terrace and range from €270,000 to €285,000.

The final unit is a ground floor apartment of 814 square feet and it costs €250,000.

Parking, indoor and outdoor, is included for all units and each block has a communal roof garden and video phone entry.

Unlike other apartment blocks some of the units have coal effect gas fires, cloakrooms and utility rooms.

Ballincollig is in the middle of a renaissance. The former army barracks is the site of a new town centre, giving the satellite town a focal point. Traffic is also much reduced in the town with the recent opening a new bypass.

With all these improvements it certainly looks like a good time to invest.