Starter homes: Ballintemple, Cork €195,000

Size: 76 (820 sq ft)

Chances are you won’t have heard of Cherrington, or have been in past its tall stone access gates — unless you’re nosy, as it’s a quiet, unassuming cul de sac off a busy enough road.

There’s less than 20, perhaps a dozen and a half or so houses, in all, in this hidden residential niche, off Churchyard Lane in Cork City’s Ballintemple. Directly across the road is the Eircom site, just being sold for new house building, and also nearby is Cork Con’s rugby grounds, a pitch and putt club, and the public park and pitch at Beaumont Quay, one of the southside suburb’s little treasures, with a boys and girsl NS in its midst.

In this midst, too, estate agent Timothy Sullivan brings No 14 Cherrington to market, and it’s a good ’un.

Modest sized at 820 sq ft, it nonetheless has three bedrooms, a 13’ by 14’ main living room with French doors to the walled in back garden, kitchen, and main bathroom.

So, no en suite, no guest loo, but all the basics covered nonetheless, and it’s quite smart.

Guide price is a reasonable seeming €195,000, and it’s a walk-in job, with gas heating, off-street parking, and enough private garden area (east-facing) for lawn, patio, BBQ and planting, while directly over the high back stone boundary wall is the Beaumont public park.

Cherrington’s a few minutes from Douglas, Mahon, Blackrock, etc — and it’s still an oasis.

VERDICT: Great setting, go cherry picking.