Lots to see in Loreto with this €595,000 family home

A recent flurry of activity in Loreto Park sees another family-sized home hit market

Trenton Loreto

Loreto, South Douglas Road
€595,000
Size	143 sq m (1,530 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
BER	E1

A bit like the wind and rain arriving in the past week after a summer of sun, stillness and heat, Cork’s Loreto Park is stirring up again after a lull.

The long-establied residential estate (or ‘park’) dates to the 1950s and for long periods there was little or no turnover of homes here in this dog-leg shaped scheme, off the South Douglas Road, near the Cross Douglas Road.

But, like waiting for ages for the proverbial bus only for several to come in quick succession, so too it is with this location and here comes No 27, otherwise known as Trenton.

A four-bed semi-d, with 1,530 sq ft after a rear extension was added some years ago, Trenton’s a good option for families looking to trade up to, or trade into, the greater Douglas area.

No 27 carries a €595,000 AMV with estate agent Jennifer Roe of Casey & Kingston and arrives to market less than month after she launched the larger, 2,600 sq ft detached five-bed Lauderdale at the far end of Loreto Park at €895,000.

Set by the Cross Douglas Road entrance to Loreto, Lauderdale at the €895k sum is €300,000 over the asking for No 27/Trenton, but they are not really comparable, as Lauderdale is in better condition, has a fifth bedroom, an additional 1,100 sq ft and is detached.

A better comparison is No 15, Edan, a four-bed detached of 1,250 sq ft on a corner site between C&K’s two current listings: a do-er upper, Edan had a €525,000 AMV when launched in April and is sale agreed for c €600,000.

So, on to No 27, the next to be viewed, and quite typical of the era, and of the Loreto location as a four-bed semi amongst a preponderance of semis in neighbouring, mostly three or four bedroomed.

It’s got four large windows to the front, framed with fixed louvres, as well as some internal louvres or plantation shutters and decor-wise is a mix of original and more contemporary.

There’s a bright modern kitchen, updated main bathroom with corner shower, and older-era built-ins in three of the bedrooms (including one with a wash basin) have been painted to give a fresher look and are as capacious as ever – you’d only be replacing them for style’s sake, if at all.

It’s cleanly presented, most rooms are carpeted and there’s a front sitting room, rear kitchen breakfast/room with Corian worktops on pale smart units along with a TV room/den with sliding door access to the the enclosed east facing back garden which also gets southerly light.

The front room has an open fireplace, the den has a gas fire and also at ground level is a shower room. A garage only slightly linked or attached behind the main house section carries the option of alternative uses for new owners to further explore.

The BER is E1 , there’s gas heating and double glazing and the setting is the first of the semi-d pairing on the right coming into Loreto Park, just before Ashdale, with the city centre a short walk away, as is Douglas village, schools, shops and more.

VERDICT: Semi-ds like No 27 in settled suburbs have been selling strongly in the past few years.

Those needing lots of work are slower right now, but the existing updates to Trenton will stand in its sale’s favour.