Stealing beauty in swanky suburb

ESTATE agent Jarlath Boyd has a few strings to his selling bow with a Rochestown house called Sherwood — and it is no robbery at €550,000, he says.

His aim is to take from the semi-rich (or at least the mortgage-approved,) and to give not to the poor, but to the vendors, who have “brought it to and beyond show-house standards. There’s very little to be done by any new owners.”

While Sherwood, in upper Kensington, Rochestown, in Cork isn’t exactly a forest property, it does overlook a very large green area, and has been zapped up the decades decor-wise since its 1970s inception.

There’s very high quality finishes inside and out, with a low maintenance exterior and gravelled front garden, and windows have been recently replaced with wood-grain PVC double glazing.

Internally, Sherwood has up to 2,000 sq ft and rooms include a 23’x12’ sitting room with bay window and a sliding door to a separate space, with French doors leading on to the garden. There’s also a kitchen/breakfast room with cherrywood units, a dining space, study, guest WC, and utility. All four bedrooms are upstairs, all with built-in cupboards, the main en suite bedroom is a large, L-shaped space with access to a balcony to the front of the house, and there’s enough closing-in greenery in summer to screen the balcony for privacy. The main bathroom has a Jacuzzi bath, and the landing has access to the attic via a pull-down stairs. “Sherwood is probably one of the best value houses for its size and quality anywhere in Rochestown. Anyone who visits will quickly realise this,” says Mr Boyd, of Hamilton Osborne King.