Starter home: Glounthaune, Co Cork €190,000

Trish Dromey discovers a one- or two-bed townhouse in good order which needs some work to help its energy rating live up to its name.

Sq m 60 sq m (650 sq ft)

Bedrooms: 1/2

Bathrooms: 1

BER: E2

A cosy-sounding name and a splash of blue on the front wall, make The Snug in Glounthaune stand out from the average terraced property.

A two-bed house, also known as 3 Lower Annmount, it’s on the market with Savills auctioneers who are guiding it at €190,000.

Describing it as a lovely townhouse in good decorative order, auctioneer Michael O’Donovan says its Glounthaune location and its affordability is attracting first-time buyer interest.

Situated on a terrace of six or seven houses on a roadway adjacent to Glounthaune Church, it’s within a ten-minute walk of the nearby train station.

The Lee tunnel is just over four kilometres away while the city centre is approximately 10km away.

The Snug has 650 sq ft of living space which includes an oak-floored living/dining space at the front, with recessed lighting, as well as a galley kitchen with oak units at the rear.

There’s also a 7’ square room on the ground floor which could be used as a study or second bedroom.

Upstairs, there’s a shower room and carpeted bedroom with a Velux window.

Fitted with double glazed windows and oil-fired central heating, the property has an E2 energy rating which a buyer will probably want to improve on.

The Snug has two small patios — the front one faces west, while the one at the rear with some colourful pot plants, faces south-east.

VERDICT: could appeal to investors as well as first-time buyers.