Small can be beautiful too
It’s not just the big and/or trading up houses that went well in 2013, smaller ones needing work also tipped away — or took off, depending on location. A good comparison is the row of 1970s townhouses in a spot like Orchard Close, Ballincurrig, Douglas (pic above.) Here, a mid-terraced two-bed sold in 2011 for €165,000, the next two sales of the same style older houses were for €175,000, then €187,000, and this year one offered with a guide of €185k (and identical to the 2011 one for €165k) was bid right up to €219,000. All four were with agent Dennis Guerin of Frank V Murphy, who had sold the original Lane Bros development as an apprentice in 1975. All four houses needed upgrading. Also in the same small scheme, another mid-terraced two-bed, extended, upgraded and with a good BER made €240,000 with Tim Sullivan in a sale which closed this week.
