Starter Homes: Renovated terrace is cul de sac cool

Affordable homes in Quaker Road, Crosshaven, Ballyphehane and Midleton

Quaker Road, Cork €235,000 

This attractively refurbished Edwardian terraced house at 18 Parkowen on Quaker Road is attracting quite a lot of attention. 

“On the first day we advertised it we had 30 requests for viewings,’’ says John Barry of Frank V Murphy auctioneers who sold the three-bed property to its current owners seven years ago when it was run down and in need of TLC.

On the market with a guide of €235,000, it’s since been given a complete overhaul. According to Mr Barry, the high level of interest is due to its affordability and its condition as well its location — in a quiet residential cul de sac within walking distance of the city centre. 

“It overlooks two green areas and is convenient to UCC, the city centre and local schools.’’ 

While upgrading the property with double glazing and a new front door, the owner exposed the redbrick frontage which had been painted over.

Modernising the kitchen and the bathroom and putting an insert stove in the living area, they also kept some original features, including the varnished floorboards in the bedrooms.

Accommodation includes a living-dining room running from front to rear as well as a modern kitchen and bathroom, which are located in a single-storey section at the rear. Upstairs there are three timber floored bedrooms.

The house has a small yard at the rear and a garden with decking, some lawn, and a shed at the front.

VERDICT: Affordably priced, attractively renovated, and nicely situated in a cul de sac overlooking a green.

Crosshaven, Co Cork €310,000

Downsizers who dream of retiring to a single-storey property near the seaside will want to go and see No 7 Castlepoint Village in Crosshaven.

Situated in a small cul de sac development of distinctive looking bungalows built in the early 1990s, it’s a spacious four-bedroom detached property with a large mature garden with camellia trees that recently came into bloom.

“It’s within a 10-minute walk of shops and amenities in Crosshaven and is just a short drive from beaches at Myrtleville, Fountainstown and Church Bay,’’ says auctioneer Michael Piggott quoting a guide of €310,000.

The E1 BER rating needs upgrading and the décor needs updating, but the 1,170 sq ft property looks very well maintained and comfortable. In recent years, a large fourth bedroom with a modern wetroom has been added on at the rear – a feature that downsizers, in particular, will appreciate.

Accommodation includes a spacious carpet floored living room with a stove and an archway leading through to a kitchen diner with a kitchenette at one side and parquet floored dining space on the other. There’s also a small TV room, a bathroom, and four bedrooms including the newly added one, which is 18ft long and has sliderobes and patio doors as well as a modern tiled wetroom.

To the rear, the property has a west-facing decked patio enclosed by timber fencing and an area of lawn. The largest garden space is at the front which has a good-sized driveway with lawns on either side and a small gravelled patio for sitting out and timber shed plumbed as a utility space.

VERDICT: Attractive bungalow near the seaside.

Ballyphehane, Cork City €215,000

Although its name may be slightly longer than the average property, No 6 Killeenreendowney Avenue’s €215,000 asking price is more affordable than most.

Selling agents Jeremy Murphy auctioneers are expecting strong first-time buyer interest in the 1950s-built two-bed terraced bungalow in Ballyphehane. Extended in recent years, it has newly upgraded windows but its F BER rating needs attention.

Accommodation includes two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room with an archway into a dining room extension. It has off-street parking and gardens at the front and rear.

VERDICT: Will draw downsizers and first-time buyers.Size: 65 sq m

Midleton, Co Cork €160,000

Its €160,000 guide price could make No 8 Cherry Orchard at Bloomfield in Midleton very attractive to a young buyer in search of a first home.

The two-bed ground floor apartment is new to the market with Hegarty Properties. Auctioneer Kyle Kennedy says it’s ready for immediate occupation and its location within walking distance of Midleton town centre is sought after. The apartment has a kitchen/dining /living area, two bedrooms, and a bathroom

VERDICT: Highly affordable.