A Clear opportunity

Rose Martin reports on a house that needs TLC but the views will worth the effort

It’s a wreck — pure and simple, but compared to certain parts of Afghanistan’s Helmand province — maybe it’s palatial.

This Goleen, Cork house went live on the internet two weeks ago and calls flooded in — with one of the first actually from faraway Afghanistan, said John Hodnett of Hodnett Forde Auctioneers.

He’s preparing to auction this plum property on Nov 9 next and gives a rough guide of €75,000 to €80,000 but has set no reserve.

The roadside house is a bit forlorn, its windows are all stoved in, but it looks to be in good structural condition, though buyers will have to satisfy themselves of that before the auction.

And while this Goleen farmhouse will need a good bit of further investment, its main selling point is high, postcard views over Cape Clear and Sherkin Island and a location that’s just a five minute walk to Goleen village, a cosmopolitan hub in summer.

Standing on a third of an acre, the house has great potential, says John Hodnett:

“Like myself it has a bit of high mileage, but a bit of TLC and it would be a fine house — and there’s no breathalyser problem — you’re into Goleen in minutes.”

VERDICT: Not one for the faint of heart, but with a third of an acre of ground and those views, it might be worth the effort in a location where planning for indigenous and Afghan populations is strict.