Coole prospect with Lee views

THERE’S been a hot market response to the bungalow called Coole, a mid-1900s three-bed home on a delicious one-third of an acre site, above the Lee Road in Cork.

A mile or so beyond the city boundary, it is reached via a private entrance on the Lee Road, which runs from Wellington Bridge towards Inniscarra and the Angler’s Rest pub. It is a popular walking route, and the house is up over the road, which gives it a perch from which to catch the slow-flowing River Lee views.

Its owners/vendors have been here for almost 25 years, and have done consistent upgrades. “It is lovely inside, in good decorative condition and doesn’t need much work at all,” says estate agent Gail Kingston of DNG Harris auctioneers.

Add-ons to the mix include two garages, privacy, terraced gardens, BBQ area and an attic conversion. Within a week of hitting the market it was under offer around its €520,000 guide, and interest already is such that it is likely to travel a bit further, probably to the €550,000 mark or so, she accepts. Ms Kingston says Coole “combines the best of ingredients: it’s a quality house with a south-facing aspect, river views, and a mature location easily reached from the city centre and western suburbs. It has over 1,600 sq ft of space, and so is a size that might suit traders-up with small families or those leaving apartments, or equally might appeal to traders down.”

The fact that two of its three bedrooms are at ground level is a bonus for older people, but because the attractive site slopes, it is probably best bought by those without mobility issues.

Coole’s accommodation includes a bright kitchen/diner with solid wood built-ins, two reception rooms, one of which, a cosy family room with Veluxes, is upstairs, a niche study/den, and three bedrooms (two of which have en suites), one at each level, plus main bathroom. It has PVC double glazing, and heating is a mix of electric storage and solid fuel-fired central heating, so new owners may add on an oil or bulk gas tank and burner.