Trading Up: Douglas Village, Cork - €405,000

Occupying quite a market niche for itself is the Douglas Close L-shaped scheme of three-storey, upmarket townhouses, right in the very heart of the suburban village, about 100 metres from the Fingerpost, and a few hundred metres also from not one, but two major shopping centres, as well as a host of cafes, diners and bars.

Size: 140 sq m (1,500 sq ft)

Bathrooms: 3

Bedrooms: 3

BER: D2

Built in 1998, they’re always popular with investors, and rents advertised range from €1,650 to a new listing this week with a hefty €2,000 a month sought.

They’ve got an appeal as well as traders-down, despite being three storeys tall with just one bedroom on the middle level, and they are showing signs of price recovery also.

The extended and upgraded mid-terrace No 11 was recorded as a sale earlier this year at €446,000, and now No 17 is guided at €405,000 via agent Mark Rose of Rose Property Services.

It’s a more standard offer and layout than No 11 was, but, it is end-terrace, with its low-maintenance corner site backing onto the road passing by Douglas Court to the Fingerpost. It has c 1,500 sq ft, with first floor living room with bay window, first floor master en suite bedroom, and two more top floor dormer bedrooms plus another bathroom.

At ground, there’s a living room, split level kitchen/dining room, utility and guest WC, and as the development is gated, there’s service charges of nearly €1,000 a year.

VERDICT: Super convenient, and previously let to an Apple exec.