Stunning big house looking for big sale with price drop

A BIG, upgraded house, in a strong residential location, matched with a price drop and pitching in to a locality where a few big sales have been secured – that’s the background to Glen House’s 2010 sale hopes.

This Hettyfield, Douglas, suburban family home last sold after summer 2006, as the Irish property market began its long, drawn out demise after a decade and more of boom. At the time, it sold for about €1.7 million, and needed work.

It was bought by an investment duo, who fully renovated, extended and upgraded, and tried to sell it a year later in September 2007 for over €2 million.

It didn’t find a buyer, but it did get rented, for good money, to the corporate sector for a while.

Now, Glen House is back publicly up for sale – at a price drop down to €1.3 million. The vendors’ loss will be the buyer’s gain (even if the real beneficiary was back in the 2006 high period).

Now, Brian Olden of Cohalan Downing is selling agent, knows a few strong medic buyers are hunting in the locale given the Cork Medical Centre opening this summer in Mahon and he stresses the positives: five bedrooms, thanks to an attic extenion 3,300 sq ft of space with a very open front layout thanks to a full-width recent “orangerie” expansion with glass lantern overhead, which opens the house out handsomely, and mature private gardens, just a five-minute walk from all of Douglas’s amenities and a range of schools.

The mid-1900s built suburban house faces south, into those reasonably compact gardens, and has a big stone-flagged terrace/patio and BBQ area outside, gravel drive, and high hedges.

Internally, the house has been give a calm, neutral makeover in paint and decorative terms, bathrooms have lots of marble and travertine, sanitary ware is costly Villeroy and Boch, showers are powered, and floors are either quality wide plank American oak, or wool carpets. The kitchen is painted hardwood, done with Farrow and Ball paints.

Rooms include a living/sitting room, dining room and large conservatory/orangerie, kitchen with larder/pantry off plus utility, four first floor bedrooms with two en suites, guest WD and main family bathroom, with underfloor heating.

The attic level is 25’ by 11’, billed as a fifth bedroom or play room.