Starter Homes: Four Cork properties for less than €300,000

Cypress Circus, Midleton €265,000

Within three days of appearing online the brochure for 22 Cypress Circus at Bloomfield in Midleton had been checked out over 5,000 times.

The €265,000 asking price for the three-storey four-bed semi-detached house is making it attractive to both first-time buyers and ones trading up, says Shay Cronin of Cronin Wall auctioneers, pointing out that this type of property is now in short supply in Midleton.

The 2005 built house has, according to Mr Cronin, been lovingly maintained by its owners. “Last year they put in an expensive modern in-frame kitchen — it’s onyx grey and has solid timber worktops and copper handles.” There’s 1,300 sq ft of living space which at ground level includes a guest WC and a living room connected by double doors to the kitchen dining room at the rear. The first floor has a bathroom and two bedrooms, including one en suite while the second floor also has two bedrooms.

Overlooking a green area, the property has paved parking at the front and a good-sized south-facing lawned garden at the rear. Cypress Circus is located within a 20-minute walk from Midleton Train Station and the shops in the town centre. Mr Cronin says that because of its location and its attractive appearance the development is very popular.

“The owners are selling because they have identified a new property and the house is priced for a timely sale.”

• Midleton, Co Cork
• Verdict: Strong interest from people employed in multinationals in Carrigtwohill and Little Island expected.
• €265,000
• Size: 120 sq m (1,300 sq ft)
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 3
• BER: pending

The Lough, Cork €285,000

The high corniced ceilings at Lislee, 3 Saint Mary’s Villas in the Lough gives the three-bed end of terrace house a sense of space that you won’t find in a modern equivalent.

Lislee, 3 St Marys Villas, The Lough, Cork.

Built in the 1920s, the property has quite a number of period features including a Georgian style doorway with a fanlight, a bay window and some elaborate plasterwork in the hallway.

Launching the almost 1,200 sq ft house on the market with a guide of €285,000, Glenn O’Connor of DNG Creedon says it’s a beautifully presented family home with an attractive blend of period and modern features.

“The current owners refreshed it with new carpets and repainted it,’” he says, explaining that the property was extended at the rear by previous owners.

At the front of the house, there’s a parquet floored sitting room with a bay window and a 9 ft high corniced ceiling. Beyond it is a carpeted dining room as well as a tiled kitchen with cream shaker style units and a small utility room in a lean-to section.

The upper floor has three bedrooms, two doubles and a single as well as a bathroom and a WC which are located at the rear in a section which is probably a later addition.

Fitted with gas heating, the property has a low G energy rating.

In addition to its small gravelled front garden, the house has a long lawned private one enclosed by hedging at the rear.

Mr O’Connor says that Lislee’s location near the Lough amenity park and within a 20-minute walk of UCC and the city centre is hugely popular.

“There’s huge interest — for the first two days of viewings 15 people have booked to see it.’’

• VERDICT: Not expected to be too long on the market.
• The Lough, Cork
• €285,000
• Size: 110 (1,191 sq ft)
• Bedrooms: 3
• Bathrooms: 2
• BER: G

St Luke’s, Cork €195,000

Situated above Cork city in St Luke’s, No 9 Mount Vernon Terrace is a well-kept three-bed terraced property with an affordable guide price of €195,000.

9 Mount Vernon Terrace, St Lukes, Cork

Built in 1910, it’s new to the market with Gillian McDonnell of Sherry Fitzgerald who says it’s an attractive house in a mature cul de sac and that the location within a 20-minute walk of the city centre is very convenient. Accommodation includes a sitting room, a dining room and a kitchen as well as a bathroom and three bedrooms upstairs.

VERDICT: has more space and is better kept than many properties close to the city centre costing less than €200,000.

Donoughmore, Co. Cork €205,000

There’s a sizable one-third of an acre site going with this renovated cottage at Pluckanes in Donoughmore.

The Cottage, Pluckanes, Donoughmore

A traditional two-bed property which has become a four-bed one, it’s on the market with O’Mahony Walsh auctioneers who say it’s well maintained and has been fitted with new windows and a stove and has also been insulated. Guiding at €205,000, it has a lounge/dining room, a kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom at ground level, as well as two upstairs bedrooms.

VERDICT: plenty of space to build or play