Starter homes: Ballycotton, Cork €220,000

Size: 136 sq m (1,450 sq ft)

Buyers could strike gold at no 28 Silver Strand — a four-bed semi-d at East Cork’s coastal Ballycotton.

Built 12 years ago in what is said to be a popular residential scheme, it has 1,450 sq ft of living space, with one of its four bedrooms en-suite. It has front-to-back room layouts in the main wood-floored living room and in the kitchen/dining room, on opposite sides of the hall.

It’s been well-kept, say agents Hegarty Properties, in Midleton, 20 minutes’ drive away. No 28 has a sweep of beach views in front, and a compact, walled-in back garden, with sandstone paving and raised beds.

VERDICT: Year-round coastal lifestyle.