Trading up
Sq m: 260 (2,800 sq ft)
Bedrooms: 4
BER rating: B
Broadband: Yes
THIS house isn’t built yet — but it will be built to the same standard as the truly fine home next door.
This property offer, of a house to be built over a 12-month contract to a set standard, comes after the prior 2006 sale of a 1970s Danish-design 5,000 sq ft house, called Tanglewood, on a 0.8-acre site in the up-market Hilton park off Cork’s Model Farm Road.
The second, replacement property will be 2,800 sq ft plus a convertible attic.
Its purchaser knocked the original and built a sizeable new family home to an Edwardian design, using the best of materials, and now is selling the other half of the 0.8-acre site with full planning for a similar new-build. You just have to see one to imagine the other, say selling agents, Irish and European.
They’ve reduced the asking price from c €1m to €895,000, and there’s a comprehensive specification list.
The vendor has worked in top-end construction projects and brought some of that expertise and level of detailing home here, so expect things like Bangor Blue slate, cast-iron rainwater goods, hardwood windows, limestone sills, a block-on-flat construction and concrete slab floors, and neat, white mortar detailing in the brickwork.
VERDICT: The price drop makes this prospect well worth exploring.
Sq m: 70 (750 sq ft)
Bedrooms: 2
BER rating: Pending
Broadband: Yes
THERE could be a Disney Fairytale ending to the proposed sale of this compact coastal cottage — appropriate, as it has captivating sea views stretching across Coolmaine beach to the renovated castle owned by the late Roy Disney.
Just as a cat can look at a king, a cottage can look at a castle, and it is those mixed views that will bring buyers to this half-acre slice of property, says estate agent Henry O’Leary.
“You could do a lot to this property, for very reasonable money. It doesn’t need a huge budget,” he says of the two-bed offering on a south-east facing half acre site above the tourist road from Kinsale to Clonakilty.
Billing the location as both special and sensational (and there are fairly swanky homes all around) he says he’s optimistic about a sale here: “There’s money out there for exceptional value, and for exceptional properties, and this meets both criteria,” he enthuses.
The single-storey four room bungalow/cottage, with tiny kitchen and bathroom behind, has most of its site to the side and rear, and a smart extension will draw in light and views.
VERDICT: Coming to market with rotten timing, winter gales and economic woes, this is nonetheless a property prospect to get excited about.
Sq m: 112 (1,200 sq ft)
Bedrooms: 3
BER rating: Pending
Broadband: Yes
IT’S all about the view here with this house at Carrigrohane —it sits on a high hill overlooking the Lee Fields and has a panoramic scope.
Facing full south on a 3/4 acre site, this unspoilt location is still only minutes from town.
Located close by Mount Desert care centre, the house is off the Lee Road, which is part of a popular, healthy Slí na Sláinte loop.
And while the old style bungalow is need of a overhaul and a good bit of investment, sales are few and far between around here, which should pique interest.
The other major selling point is that it’s only 3km from Cork’s western suburbs and its various institutions — selling agent Shay Cronin of Property Partners Burke Wall, has good medics/hospital-based interest, he says.
The house has breathtaking views, he adds, with good privacy on its steep site. Access is via a boreen from the Lee Road, and as it can’t be seen on a drive-by, potential viewers might try the Straight Road — with binoculars.
VERDICT: A doer-upper in a good area, close to town and Ballincollig and overlooking the Lee Fields.
Sq. m: 162 (1,740 sq ft)
Bedrooms: 5
BER rating: Pending
Broadband: Yes
FACING directly south, in a high pitch above Ballincollig town’s western main stretch is the large family home 5 Westcliffe.
It is within a couple of minutes of every amenity, from shops to schools, as well as the riverside walks at the Powdermills park, says auctioneer Norma Healy of Sherry Fitzgerald.
“It’s probably one of the very biggest family homes in Ballincollig of its era, she notes of the five-bed detached home with a sturdy 1,740 sq ft of space, which she guides at €350,000 and is open to offers around that level.
“It’s a great trading up opportunity, with a big back garden, three reception rooms, two of them with fireplaces, a modern kitchen with walnut units and American fridge, and one of its five bedrooms is en suite, plus there’s a guest bathroom and utility,” she notes of the house which ticks so many attributes for buyers on the move.
It has oil heating, double glazing and “this particular home is amongst the best of its type to be found at this location; there’s only a small number of homes in Westcliffe and they don’t come up for sale very often,” adds Ms Healy.
VERDICT: Five beds and 1,740 sq ft is normally the sort of offering out on rural sites. No 5 Westcliffe has Ballincollig’s myriad services on its doorstep.
Sq m: 205 (2,200 sq ft)
Bedrooms: 5
BER rating: C2
Broadband: Yes
GOOD space for any family trading up, in an over-size dormer home in a small niche development a short commute from Cork city, is on offer at No 4, Bishopsgate, Watergrasshill.
It’s a four/five-bed home with an adaptable range of rooms, with an optional ground-level bedroom or home office, and four bedrooms overhead, though one is very much on the nursery end of the size scale, and a little under 6’ wide, but over 12’ long.
Selling agent Jeremy Murphy says this is a home to see for its warmth and good ground-level floor plan, with three reception rooms (two, including a dining room to the rear are interlinked) plus kitchen, space internally is bright, he says, and the back garden has a southerly aspect.
Murphy is seeking offers of €335,000 for No 4, which has an unusual front facade for a dormer, with a full two-storey height and a dash finish contrasting with the rest of the brick.
No 4 has good overall specification, a solid C2 BER rating, an alarm, gas heating and “is a great family home for those looking to upgrade and get more space for a growing family, with a good range of services to hand in Watergrasshill,” says Murphy.
VERDICT: One of the better trading-up options locally for families outgrowing a starter home.
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