Trading up: Ballincollig, Cork, €435,000

Built to accommodate a large family back in 2001, this detached six-bed house has done its duty, and with a nest emptying at a rate, it’s now being offered for sale by its down-sizing owners.

Size: 303sq m (3,260 sq ft) 

Bathrooms: 3 

Bedrooms: 6 

BER: C2

Set on a small cul de sac by the Carriganarra Road south of Ballincollig’s main strip, this one-off home is on a site of one-third of an acre, and is priced at €435,000 by Barry Nagle of Global Properties.

Mr Nagle notes how the area has changed and matured in the past 15 years, with new primary and second-level schools, as well as the barracks redevelopment, plus more adjacent residential developments like Highfield Park, and Limesworth (the latter recently saw a four/five-bed detached make €635,000.)

And, in addition to the major employers in the new Town Centre/barracks square, there’s a raft of new businesses by the link road.

Any or all of those positive developments could provide a new family of occupants for this property, which has one of its six bedrooms (five are upstairs) en suite, plus living room, play room, office, and kitchen/diner.

It now needs a makeover, but even changing floors and curtains “would immediately freshen it up, and with a solid C2 BER this modern house has size and age on its side”, says Barry Nagle.

VERDICT: It’s a grower.