House of the week: Model Farm Road, Cork €635,000

Size: 264 (2,850 sq ft)

The widely-travelled vendor selling Sancta Maria was off in congested Hong Kong on business years ago: what with its high-rises and huge population, he quickly realised that built-up, congested city living wasn’t for him, or for his brood - and that awareness informed his decision to buy this place as a family home.

“It’s got the best of both worlds, it’s out in the country, but it’s only a few minutes from the city. You can see the County Hall, Elysian tower and St FinBarre’s Cathedral from the back, but the boundary’s a farmer’s field, and there’s a bus route on the doorstep,” he reasons.