Starter homes: Hillside setting on edge of Cork City main selling point of old bungalow

Location: Ovens, Cork

This tired, but tastily-placed Curraghbeg, Ovens bungalow is all about the setting. Newly for sale, for €120,000, via Robert O’Keeffe of Irish and European, this is a buy for someone who has vision and building ambition.

Set just north and west of Ballincollig, up along the River Lee in a wooded, hillside setting, it’s a do-er upper, or even a knock-down and a rebuild job, depending on a buyer’s scale of vision, and budget. Right now, it’s sort of two-up two-down, with porch added on one side and a single-storey wing on another. Not only is the site fairly private, it’s pretty overgrown: it looks like a strimmer had to be used to improve access.

It’s a handy half-acre, sort of looking back the Curraghbeg valley, towards Cork City and Ballincollig, and across the valley is the old riverside graveyard. Skirt up, and around, the side of the hill, and views open up of the Inniscarra dam and reservoir.

Despite that rural-valley prospect, Ballincollig’s only a couple of minutes’ spin away and the bypass is also easily reached, at the western end of the Wood Road.

“I can see a potential buyer doing a large extension with the new, government home-improvement scheme proving advantageous, and other would-be buyers will look at replacing the existing house and developing a new build,” says Mr O’Keeffe, predicting early bids.

VERDICT: Special site.