An unholy bidding war

THE ADDRESS alone carries cache as well as a mercenary and snob value, ever before you pace out the 4,000 sq ft of space on a three-quarter acre site in Douglas in Cork.

The former Church of Ireland rectory, likely to be called The Old Rectory in its new incarnation, is to be auctioned on December 11. Given the shortage of good and period homes in the area, an unholy bidding war can be expected.

Dating from the late 1800s, the rectory is being sold on 0.7 of an acre; it currently stands on a larger site but a section is to be kept back to build a new rectory on, while a lower section of the site is being offeredor one new dwelling. Estate agent Peter Cave of CB Hamilton Osborne King gives the rectory a guide price ‘in excess of €700,000,’ but may be setting the bar a bit low given the anticipated interest in such a superb location.