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

Homes for first time buyers to consider from Douglas, Ballyphehane, Buttevant and Carrigtwohill

Starter Homes: 20 Clarkes Road, Ballyphehane, Cork.

Carrigtwohill, Co Cork
€295,000
Size	90 sq m (970 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

For a modern three-bed-semi in an estate, No 23 An Caireal, Cul Ard in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, has particularly large gardens.

Starter Homes: 23 An Caireal Cul Ard Carrigtwohill, Co Cork.

“It’s on a corner site and has substantial front and side gardens with space for several cars as well as a 55-metre long one at the rear,” says Jer Colbert of Michael Dorgan, quoting a guide of €295,000.

Starter Homes: 23 An Caireal Cul Ard Carrigtwohill, Co Cork.

Redecorated by its current owners — who also upped the BER to a B3 with a new boiler — the house has 90 square metres of very well-maintained accommodation.

Starter Homes: 23 An Caireal Cul Ard Carrigtwohill, Co Cork.

It is located within a 10-minute walk from Carrigtwohill train station.

VERDICT: Modern home with space for an extension.

Ballyphehane, Cork city
€290,000
Size	90 sq ft (968 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	B3

The purchaser of 20 Clarkes Road in Ballyphehane should certainly appreciate the amount of effort that the current owners have put into upgrading their two-bed 1950s mid-terrace property.

Starter Homes: 20 Clarkes Road, Ballyphehane, Cork.

Whoever buys the thoroughly modernised home — which has 90sq m of living space as well as a converted attic — could also be very appreciative of the fact that it comes with planning permission for a two-storey extension at the rear and a single-storey one at the front. 

Starter Homes: 20 Clarkes Road, Ballyphehane, Cork.

Seeking offers of €290,000, John Corbett of Cohalan Downing auctioneers says that the owners who purchased in 2017 have carried out extensive renovations, putting in a modern kitchen and bringing it up to a B3 BER in the process.

At ground level, it has a front sitting room with a marble fireplace and a stove, an understairs guest WC and, at the rear, a modern kitchen diner with white gloss units and blue walls. Upstairs there’s a contemporary shower room and two bedrooms while the attic has a 15 sq m carpeted room with two Velux windows.

Starter Homes: 20 Clarkes Road, Ballyphehane, Cork.

To the rear, the property has a two-tier garden with a concrete patio, an outbuilding and steps to a lawned area. The owners planned to use the garden space for an extension but have now decided to trade up instead.

Starter Homes: 20 Clarkes Road, Ballyphehane, Cork.

Mr Corbett says that both the condition and the location, close to local services and within walking distance of the city centre, are excellent.

VERDICT: A ready-to-go starter home with enlargement potential.

Douglas, Cork city
€285,000
Size	82sq m (888 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	D1

Maryborough Mews on Maryborough Hill in Douglas is a well-located and well-maintained two-bed property with a guide of €285,000.

Starter Homes: Apartment 1, Maryborough Mews, Maryborough Hill, Douglas, Cork.

Glen O’Connor of DNG Creedon Finn O’Connor says the 1990s-built ground-floor property is in very good condition and that its location is very sought after.

The property is likely to appeal to both downsizers and first-time buyers but it could also attract investors.

Starter Homes: Apartment 1, Maryborough Mews, Maryborough Hill, Douglas, Cork.

VERDICT: Maryborough apartments tend to be popular.

Buttevant, Co. Cork
€185,000
Size	88 sq m (960 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	B3

The owners of 23 Ard An Bhaile in Buttevant clearly have an appreciation of how colour can be used to make a standard three-bed-semi look distinctive.

23 Ard An Bhaile Buttevant, Co Cork

Identifiable because of its eye-catching pink door and blue timber panelling, it will be easily located by viewers in the Ard an Bhaile estate which is located within a 10-minute walk from Buttevant’s main street.

Starter Homes: 23 Ard An Bhaile Buttevant, Co Cork.

Built in 2007, it wasn’t fitted out until 2011 when it was bought with a builder’s finish by a German-Hungarian couple who tweaked the layout and decorated it creatively.

Starter Homes: 23 Ard An Bhaile Buttevant, Co Cork.

The kitchen, at the front of the house, was fitted with white, high-gloss units and decorated with a few splashes of red and accessorised with red chairs. In the living room at the rear, the owners opted for a Stovax and added a recess for log storage and fitted bookshelves. While the walls are mostly cream and neutral, the curtains are sunshine yellow and there’s an alcove painted a deep shade of teal.

Starter Homes: 23 Ard An Bhaile Buttevant, Co Cork.

They thought the space under the stairs would be better as a utility room than a WC, and equipped it accordingly.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms (one en suite) with sections of turquoise and teal on the walls and a bathroom with some red tiling.

Outside there’s a south-facing garden with a concrete patio and a gravelled area which uses different gravels to interesting effect.

Starter Homes: 23 Ard An Bhaile Buttevant, Co Cork.

Listing the B3 BER property with a guide of €185,000, Sherry FitzGerald O’Donovan say it’s perfect for a first-time buyer or a downsizer.

VERDICT: An affordable, individual home which could suit a hybrid worker in either Limerick or Cork.