TRADING UP: Donoughmore, Cork - €249,000

There’s been a bit of a shave on the asking price of Cummeen, a comfortable bungalow and lifestyle option, on a very comfortable three-acre site 18 miles from the city.

Size: 1,300sq ft, 3 acres

Bathrooms: 1 + 1

Bedrooms: 3 + 1

BER: C1

The mix includes a private home with conservatory, big front garden, an even bigger 2.5 acre field, plus the bonus of a relatively self-contained one-bed chalet, suitable for office/therapy uses, or guests; it even has a sauna in its bathroom.

Selling agent is John O’Mahony, of O’Mahony Walsh in Ballincollig, and he’s just this week dropped the asking price from €260,000 to €249,000, describing the home as being in immaculate order, on manicured grounds which include a large shed with a lean-to, polytunnel, veg beds, shrubs and more.

It’s an easy commute to and from Cork city, he suggests, and overlooks a rural valley, while the field behind allows for even more horticultural activity, or keeping pigs, ponies or poultry. The residence has two reception rooms, sunroom, kitchen, three bedrooms with built-ins, and a bathroom. The chalet alongside is well insulated with services, with a living room, bedroom and bathroom.

Meanwhile, hoping to counter the summer market lull, the same agent, Mr O’Mahony, has also reduced the price on 55 Earlwood Estate by Cork city’s Lough from €310,000 to €298,000.

It’s a three-bed semi-d, with garage and good back garden, but with an F BER and a dated look, it needs further spending.

VERDICT: Price drops make these two worth examining