Starter home: Blackrock, Cork €220,000

Interest has been high in the upmarket Blackrock House, but a foot in the door need not break the bank, according to Trish Dromey.

Size: 71 sq m (770 sq ft)

Bedrooms: 1

BER: Exempt

At €220,000, this one-bed apartment is the most affordable property on offer at the upmarket Blackrock House development in the former Ursuline convent building.

Selling agents Lisney auctioneers say that No 11, a 770 sq ft property on the lower ground floor, is attracting attention from both first-time buyers and downsizers.

Auctioneer Cian O’Donoghue says that, since its launch last year, there has been strong interest in this 27-unit development of luxury apartments.

“We have already taken deposits on 19 of them and sales have gone through on four of these,” he says, adding that the magnificent setting in one of the city’s most sought-after residential areas has been a strong selling point.

Those remaining include No 18, a top-floor three-bed apartment with 1,922 sq ft of space for €650,000, as well as this one, which is one of three remaining one-bed properties and the most affordable.

Accommodation includes a kitchen/dining/living room, a small utility space, a bathroom and a double bedroom.

The ceilings, in the BER-exempt 18th-century property are 12ft high and the apartment has seven large sash windows and heating provided by a district system.

Being sold in shell condition, the apartment has a finished bathroom with tiles and sanitary ware and, in the kitchen space, contemporary style grey units with an oven.

The walls have been painted white, while the flooring in all rooms except the bathroom has been left to the purchaser.

Located in the heart of Blackrock, a few minutes stroll from the Marina, the development has a designated parking space and is accessed via electric gates. The annual service charge for No 11 is €1,850

VERDICT: A cut above the average apartment