Starter Homes: Four Cork properties for sale starting at €230,000

First time buyers can choose between homes across West Cork, Ballincollig, Frankfield and Cork city, writes Trish Dromey

Glengarriff, West Cork
€265,000
Size	58 sq m (624 sq ft)
Bedrooms	1
Bathrooms	1
BER	D2

Although this partially renovated farmhouse at Derreenagarig near Glengarriff needs further work, its scenic and secluded setting will surely make the effort worthwhile.

Located at the foot of a craggy hillside in an area of dense woodland, the traditional property is pretty but derelict, but includes a recently built apartment/ extension at the rear (pictured, right) and a site of four acres.

The owner who bought it six years ago, re-roofed the old farmhouse with a view to carrying out further renovations, and built the extension to live in.

Listing it with a guide of €265,000, auctioneer Martin Swanton says it has excellent potential. “The old farmhouse which needs renovation has around 83 sq metres of living including three bedrooms,” he says, explaining the owner has put on a slate roof with insulation and three Velux windows.

In the timber clad extension/ apartment built on at the rear, there’s a kitchen/dining room with modern kitchen units and a stove, and also a bathroom, a bedroom, and a box room. “It’s a 58 sq m property with double glazing and a D2 BER, adds Mr Swanton.

Located next to the woodlands of the National Park and 2km from Glengarriff village, the property is accessed by a long boreen. The site is wooded and wild and has a stone wood shed, a patio, a chicken run, and a vegetable plot.

Mr Swanton says it has already been attracting enquiries from overseas.

VERDICT: Perfectly situated for a holiday hideaway.

Ballincollig, Co Cork
€310,000
Size	100 sq m (1,076 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	C1

This well-kept modern three-bed semi at 1 Barley Grove, The Maltings, Ballincollig, has been generating quite a flurry of interest. “Bidding went above the €310,000 guide after the first day of viewings on Saturday,” reveals Maria Lehane of Bowe Auctioneers, noting that by Tuesday, it had gone up to €325,000 and that viewings were continuing.

The reason for the high level of interest, which predictably is mostly from first-time buyers, is down to the location within a five/ten-minute walk of the town centre and to the fact that it’s well maintained and ready to move into.

The 100sq m property also has planning permission for a 65sq m extension providing space for an additional bedroom and an expanded living/kitchen area, which may be seen by viewers as icing on the cake.

Owner-occupied since it was built in 2004, the property has an attractive, landscaped southwest-facing garden at the rear with circular lawn, sandstone patio, and raised beds.

Downstairs, accommodation includes a carpeted sitting room with a fireplace at the front, a guest WC off the hallway, and a kitchen/dining room connected by an archway at the rear. The kitchen area has tiled flooring and shaker-style units and the dining area has sliding patio doors.

On the upper level there’s a bathroom and three bedrooms — two doubles ( including one with an en suite) as well as a single. The property has gas heating a C1 BER.

Located close to schools, churches, and parks, it’s within a 10-minute walk of shops in Ballincollig town centre.

VERDICT: Likely to sell quickly.

Frankfield, Cork
€250,000
Size	80 sq m (870 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	C1

The affordability of its €250,000 guide price and the convenience of its Frankfield location are the key attractions of this two-bed end-of-terrace house at 10 Curraghconway Court.

“It’s within a few minutes’ drive from the Kinsale roundabout and offers easy access to N27 and N40 road networks and routes to the city centre and Wilton,” says Sean McCarthy of ERA Downey McCarthy.

VERDICT: An affordable first home.

Ballintemple, Cork city
€230,000
Size	53 sq m (570 sq ft)
Bedrooms	1
Bathrooms	1
BER	E1

A one-bed cottage at 4 Beaumont Lane in Ballintemple with a guide of €230,000, is about as affordable a property as you could hope to find in the Blackrock area.

A mid-terrace house in a small cul de sac, the 1880s-built property is on the market with auctioneer Timothy Sullivan who says it was renovated 14 years ago, has a converted attic, and is very well maintained.

VERDICT: A first home for a buyer tired of rent?