Starter Homes: Four Cork properties for sale starting at €180,000

Buyers can choose from homes across Cobh, Crosshaven, Mount Oval and Castlemartyr, writes Trish Dromey 

18 Bridgetown Drive, in Castlemartyr

Cobh, Co. Cork
€255,000
Size	72 sq m (775 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	C2

Offers of €255,000 are being sought for this modern three-bed end-of-terrace property in Cobh which is being sold complete with contents.

Selling agent Gillian McDonnell of Sherry FitzGerald auctioneers says it’s a well-presented home located within a 15-minute walk from the town centre and within a 10-minute stroll from the bus, the train and the cross-river ferry.

Accommodation includes a living room, a kitchen diner and, upstairs, three bedrooms and a bathroom. There’s both a lawn and a separate patio to the rear.

VERDICT: Likely to attract buyers from the city where three-bed homes are usually more expensive.

Crosshaven, Co Cork
€180,000
Size	45 sq m (485 sq ft)
Bedrooms	1
Bathrooms	1
BER	E2

The seaside village of Crosshaven has something for everyone — from large expensive luxury homes to tiny affordable cottages like Woodview on Church Bay Road which has a guide of €180,000.

New to the market with Barry Auctioneers & Valuers, the one-bed detached dormer bungalow has just 45 sq m of living space. Renovated by owners who bought it in 2017, its exterior has been freshly painted sage green for the sale.

“Back in 2017, it sold as a two-bed house and was dark, dreary, cramped and devoid of personality,” reveals auctioneer Richie Dunlea, explaining that the current owners knocked all the internal walls, modernised, let in the light and took out a spiral staircase.

The ground-floor area now has an open-plan kitchen-dining living space with a section of high gloss kitchen units while the upstairs has a carpeted bedroom as well as a modern shower room.

“Work carried out during renovations included insulating external walls and putting in a new front door, a new staircase and electric radiators,” says Mr Dunlea, noting that the cottage has double glazing and an E2 BER.

Although Woodview doesn’t have sea views, it’s just a 200-metre walk to the seafront.

“It’s right in the heart of Crosshaven close to all amenities,” observes Mr Dunlea, who believes it’s attractively priced for a first-time buyer but could attract an investor as it isn’t in a rent pressure zone.

VERDICT: A dinky but affordable seaside home.

Mount Oval, Co Cork
€210,000
Size	54 sq m (581 sq ft)
Bedrooms	1
Bathrooms	1
BER	C2

The most affordable property currently listed in Mount Oval/Rochestown is this ground-floor apartment.

Darragh Taaffe of Keane Mahony Smith auctioneers says the well-maintained property represents an excellent opportunity for a young couple looking for a first home but could also appeal to investors.

It includes a living room, a kitchenette, a bedroom and a bathroom. It also has a west-facing patio at the rear and one designated parking space.

VERDICT: An alternative to renting, perhaps.

Castlemartyr, Co Cork
€280,000
Size	85 sq m (914 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2/3
Bathrooms	2
BER	C1

You can tell from the presence of solar panels and plantation shutters on the front windows that the owners of 18 Bridgetown Drive, in Castlemartyr have been busy with home improvements.

Conor Spillane of DNG Spillane confirms that this is the case. “Since buying it in 2017, they have put in new bathrooms, a new kitchen and new flooring, and they improved the BER by upgrading the heating in 2020 and by adding insulation and PV solar panels.”

The modern semi-detached property, new to the market with a guide of €280,000, used to have three bedrooms but the owners did a little rearranging and used the space in the smallest one to make the main one larger.

“The house is modern and stylish and has a C1 BER,” says Mr Spillane, noting that the large raised goldfish-filled pond in the back garden is an attractive and unusual feature.

Accommodation includes a front living room with a fireplace and a set of glass-panelled sliding doors which open into a modern kitchen with high gloss units, quartz worktops, and an American-style fridge freezer.

Off the hallway there’s a guest WC while the first floor has a tiled bathroom and two bedrooms — an enlarged one (which used to be two), and a second one in which the walk-in wardrobe has become a small study.

To the rear, the house has a patio garden with a sizable raised pond and two sheds.

Located within walking distance of local shops, Bridgetown Drive is 10km from Midleton and 25km from the Dunkettle Interchange.

VERDICT: Attractively upgraded and affordable.