Trading Up
A mint-condition west-facing back garden, a side/rear extension, tasty interior, and a location near very popular primary schools, playgrounds and sports grounds are selling points for No 5 Beechwood Park.
The mid-1900s built semi-d just off the Ballinlough Road on Cork City’s southside has a €340,000 AMV quoted by Joe Gavin of James G Coughlan auctioneers. He says it’s probably the best of its type to come to market locally for a while (standard three-beds locally needing modernising sell typically in the mid to upper €200,000s, and Mr Gavin has an example of those at 17 Ardfallon, a similar era semi guided at €295,000.
But, 5 Beechwood is in a higher price echelon, thanks to its extra space and done-up interior: it’s sort of a standard of what buyers of the older three beds would like to bring their homes up to.
It’s got an airy hall, two reception rooms with fireplaces, and an open 20’ by 12’ kitchen/dining room with Junkers oak floor and two sets of French doors, one to the garden, the other to a sheltered patio. There’s also a utility room, and guest WC.
Overhead are three bedrooms, plus bathroom, and at ground level is a study or bedroom 4.
VERDICT: The side conversion and rear extension with westerly aspect is the making of No 5.
There’s a lovely woodland backdrop to 5 Ard na Laoi, high in the hills above Cork City in this 1980s Montenotte development — and the house’s own back gardens are a bit of tiered delight also.
No 5 comes to market in great shape and smartly presented via agent Michael McKenna, who says it has all the signs of being cared for by house-proud owners.
It’s all very settled, and calm, and has a good mix of rooms in its overall 1,800 sq ft, with two interconnecting reception rooms, each with fireplace, but there’s also a study, plus a playroom to the other side, as well as a utility — so rooms for all callers.
The kitchen’s a decent 16’ by 12’, big enough for a formal dining table even, with oak units and ash floor, and there’s ash used again in the 16’ by 9’ study, while most of the rest of the rooms are carpeted.
Ard na Laoi’s a popular trading up spot on Cork’s hilly northern ridge, within a walk of the city centre, and with services and schools nearby around St Luke’s Cross.
VERDICT: A decent amount of space, in an easy-to-keep modern home, with mature greenery all around, and the back’s got a nice tiered dimension to it, with lower lawn/play area, and upper balustraded terrace reached from back patio doors.
Called Bellvue Cottage, though in reality more of a traditional bungalow built in 1990, this home is getting interest right across the board, from traders down, first-time buyers with good borrowing capabilities, and young families looking to future extension options.
Agent Liz Hannon of English and Co auctioneers gives it a thumbs-up in terms of privacy (you’d have to be told how to find it, she reckons) and adaptability, and says the views are exceptional — even for Cobh, where a bad or non-existent view is a rarity.
And, she adds, all the town’s facilities are a short walk away once past the gate.
Confident of a sale, she says all the main rooms, and kitchen, have views, with its bedrooms and bathrooms sensibly placed to the back.
It’s been in the same family’s hands since it was built over 20 years ago, and has dual heating, and double glazing.
VERDICT: Most of Cobh’s best viewing perches are taken up by terraced homes and large, period Victorian homes which got in early on the best viewing and sunny spots, so a detached bungalow with the same attributes, on a quarter acre, is something to prize.
There’s a mix of just a dozen individual houses at the Fairways, out by the church at Cloghroe, near Tower and Blarney in Cork, and there’s always interest in them when one comes up for sale.
So says Frank Walsh of O’Mahony Walsh as he gauges the interest in 2 The Fairways, a detached four-bed on a mature, colourful walled-in site — and, it’s showing well thanks to its updated interior, bright rooms and clean, modern feel.
Rooms include a main living room with fireplace, a bright dining room is off it, with arched connection to the main living space and with front patio access, there’s a 20’ by 18’ very smart kitchen with quality timber and granite-topped units, island and gas hob, utility with garden access (making for four points of access to the attractive grounds) and there’s lots of glazing, in woodgrain pvc, plus rear patio access through sliding doors.
One of the four bedrooms is en suite, another has Stira access to a floored attic, and the main family bathroom has a Jacuzzi bath. Arches are a bit of a visual feature inside and out and the main staircase is another feature, done in steel with open timber treads. The site has good privacy and screening, decent parking, and plenty of garden and patio space to enjoy as well.
VERDICT: A box-ticker in a very popular, highly commutable location.
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