Spring forth to Montenotte

WITH mobility now creeping into the lower end of the property market as first-time buyers increasingly get active (and are getting mortgages), it may be time for those selling their own trading-up homes to also hope for a positive knock-on effect.

And, with a clear appeal to families needing more space, and looking for a damn good house, in a fine location, how about the mellow 24 Springfort Crescent, in Cork’s Montenotte?

This four-bed home hit the market, and rather briefly these pages, in mid-November, but although viewers to date have loved it, most have been first-time buyers with greater ambition than their funds might allow them to realise.

It really is more of a trading-up home, and with full planning in place for an extension to add to its existing 1,300 sq ft, it could be a home for life, suggests estate agent Mark Gosling of James G Coughlan & Co.

As the first time buyer segment of the market shows some action in the secondhand market, there are now some buyers freed up and able to go house hunting in the mid and upper levels — at €385,000, 24 Springfort is now in the ‘adjusted’ mid-price band.

Its owners have been here since it was first built back in the mid 1990s by O’Flynn Construction, and at the time they put in extras like maple floors, two antique cast iron fireplaces and other well chosen finishes.

There are touches like clear glazed double doors with glazed side panels between the hall and main reception, for light and brightness — a simple intervention, but wholly effective, well suiting its decor which is a mix of antiques, some quality old pine furniture, contemporary and individual art pieces on the walls.

This four bedroom semi-detached house has 1,300 sq ft of living and sleeping space, and there’s also a grant of full planning permission for an architect-designed two-storey extension to the back, along with an attic conversion, so the house has a strong measure of future-proofing for growing families on the move.

The kitchen units and island are in maple, contrasting with some old pine pieces, and most of the ground floor is also done in maple, while upstairs bedrooms have pine boards and the master bedroom has an en suite with shower, and the family bathroom has a cast-iron antique bath with shower unit.

Within a mile of Cork city centre, No 24 Springfort has central heating, double glazing, off-street parking, and side access to the shed and back garden, which has an old stone boundary wall as another old meets new feature. A walk-in job, inside and out.