Starter home: Suburban style in Cork’s Millstreet

Millstreet, Cork €150,000

ESTATE agent Catherine Pomeroy has sweet memories of this Liscahane home near Millstreet: when she used to visit as a child with her mother, the woman of the house always kindly showered her with truffles. Now, it’s payback time.

“My God, as soon as I got to the door the memories all came flooding back,” she admits as she is now charged with the house and orchard sale for the same neighbour. “It’s a home which people have been admiring for years, myself included.” Another neighbour “used to go there with his friends and rob the orchard; the man of the house told them, ‘knock on the door any time’ and take all the apples they wanted, there was no need to steal them. I believe his wife took them in for tea and biscuits.”

She reckons this home was built to quite a suburban style, uncommon of its type on the edges of country towns, dating to the mid 1900s, on an acre site with fruitful orchard, a mile from Millstreet on the Macroom side. The detached home, with attached garage, has about 1,500 sq ft with recent insulation upgrades but is likely to get further investment in new, energetic ownership.

Guide price is just €150,000, so most viewers may have cash in hand for modernising; going on the vendor’s time here, it’s a place that will suit for decades to come. Catherine Pomeroy says it’s instantly appealing and substantial, with two main reception rooms, study, kitchen and sun room, with three upstairs bedrooms, bathroom and separate WC.

There’s an attractive facade with bay window, over two levels, deep eaves and scope to extend/convert the adjacent 16-feet deep garage, or even build up over it, and internally, rooms have an extra bit of ceiling height.

VERDICT: Apple of local eyes.