Trading up: Rathpeacon, Cork €575,000

Now 25 years old, Belmont House at Cork’s Rathpeacon is “stylish, spacious and secluded,” says its selling agent Frank Walsh, of O’Mahony Walsh of this 2,800 sq ft home, on a site of 1.5 acres which includes a tennis court, and an elevated patio with views to Blarney Castle in the distance.

Mr Walsh launched it on the market this month with several open viewings, and describes it as “a must-see home within a short drive of Cork city, and of Blarney itself.”

Guiding at €575,000, it’s a big five-bedroomed bungalow with three large reception rooms, two with fireplaces and the third’s a dining room, big enough to seat a dozen diners.

Though the house is effectively deep and T-shaped, there’s a central, L-shaped hall linking its sections, with teak/hardwood joinery, stairs and doors in evidence, and bedrooms are all at ground floor level also, with guest WC, main bathroom and one en suite.

With an exterior entirely done in brick, Belmont House is a sizeable home as it stands, on an acre and a half, and its upstairs is floored, has some gable window and Veluxes in place, and outside the property has a double garage with further conversion potential if/as required.

VERDICT: Game, set and match: On one of the larger sites in the locale, near the old Sunset Ridge motel. Bring your tennis whites,