Starter homes: Clonakilty, West Cork €175,000

Location: Size: 93 (1,000 sq ft)

Well, for a saving of €9,000 or so, isn’t it worth getting out the paint-brushes, the Brillo pads and the carpet cleaner?

Just last month a contemporary mid-terraced house in Clonakilty’s award-winning Glebe House Gardens was sold by local agent Martin Kelleher for €187,000, having guided at €180,000. Now, he has an end-terrace in the same superb town centre niche for sale for €178,000, and he marks it down by €9k from the sale of another two doors away because it has been rented for six years and is a bit tired decoratively. But, the bones are still excellent, and the setting’s sublime.