Trading up: Bishopstown, Cork €389,000

Size: 122 sq m (1,300sq ft)

The owner of 30 Allendale Avenue, out in Cork’s Bishopstown, has been here since it was built in the late 1960s — but she didn’t let the grass grow under her feet.

The house is up to date and the gardens (and grass therein) are immaculately under control. But now it’s moving on time, and agent Barry Nagle of Global Properties says not only is No 30 extremely well kept, with insulation upgrades in attic and pumped walls, double glazing and more, but “there is a sense of space that many buyers could only dream about today”.

The main house runs to 1,300 sq ft, and the attached garage adds another 200 sq ft to that for buyers who could easily make it over to extra living space, or even build up over it too, even though the garage’s roof has only recently been replaced.

It has a recently refitted bathroom upstairs, four beds, two reception rooms, and a spotless but slightly older style kitchen with oak units. There’s an open front garden, off-street parking and mature back garden with new hedges, and brick paver path and seating area in the sheltered back garden.

Seeking offers just shy of €390,000, No 30 is near the western suburbs’ trio of major employers, the CUH in Wilton, as well as third-level colleges CIT and UCC.

VERDICT: A credit to its long-time owner, since 1967.