Starter home: Glanmire, Cork €230,000

Two buying types looking at accommodating home, says Tommy Barker.

Size: 99 sq m (1,070 sq ft)

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 2

BER: D1

Best Feature: Tidy buy

There’s been a mix of first-time buyers as well as those specifically looking for a bungalow to trade down or across to, at the 1997-built 2 Crestfield Heights, above leafy Glanmire east of Cork city.

Estate agent Garry O’Donnell of ERA Downey McCarthy guides this 1,070 sq ft three-bed home at €230,000 and says it has been owner-occupied, and is in excellent condition inside, and outside, where the grounds are at the low-maintenance end of the scale.

The rear, in particular, is attractive, with gravel and patio, lots of planting and features, and is warm with a southerly aspect, notes Mr O’Donnell.

No 2 is semi-detached, within the elevated and sloping cul de sac setting, near Hazelwood and the Crestfield Centre, overlooking burgeoning Glanmire, and it’s showing well and is being warmly received on initial viewings, adds the ERA agent.

Adding to the warming effect is a new gas boiler, helping it get a respectable D1 BER.

The property has plenty of off-street parking in front, as this garden is longer than the rear, and internally No 2 is well-finished and presented, with hall, main living room with attractive antique fireplace, plus there’s a lounge linked to an open plan kitchen/dining area.

One of the three bedrooms has an en suite with shower, and the main family bathroom has a bath, with overhead shower.

VERDICT: It seems No 2 has an appeal to two very different buying groups, starters-out and traders-down, and the latter and probably older age group will like the easy-keep back garden, but there’s still lawn to cut in front.