Starter Homes: Four Munster properties for sale starting at €210,000

Step back into traditional living with an upgraded 1840s cottage, writes Trish Dromey

Ardmore, Co Waterford
€210,000
Size	75 sq m (807 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	Exempt

Some people want smart, modern holiday homes, but others are more likely to succumb to the charms of an authentic 1840s-built thatched cottage with whitewashed walls and green windows.

Lios an Uisce, located a little over 5km from the seaside village of Ardmore in west Waterford could do very nicely for the second type of buyer. Newly listed with Fiona Hennessy of Sherry FitzGerald Hennessy it’s a two-bed, sympathetically restored thatched cottage with a guide of €210,000.

Occupying a site of almost 1.5 acres, it’s a protected structure which has been upgraded with gas central heating, double-glazed windows and an en suite bedroom.

“The work was done by previous owners who fitted a multi-fuel stove in the inglenook fireplace,” says Ms Hennessy whose client bought the property as a holiday home five years ago.

Offering 75 sq m of living space it has a kitchen-dining room with blue painted units, granite work tops, and an old-style, delph-filled dresser. There’s also a living room with a timber-panelled ceiling and a stove as well as a a bathroom and two bedrooms — one at either end, including one ensuite.

While it’s BER exempt because of its age, Ms Hennessy says it’s cosy as well as cute and that the owner has put insulation in the attic.

VERDICT: Very cute.

Glanmire, Co Cork
€270,000
Size	66 sq m (713 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	C2

Offers in excess of €270,000 are being sought for 25 The Maples Castlejane in Glanmire.

Selling agents DNG Murphy Condon say the 2004-built property is owner-occupied and well maintained. 

Offering 66 sq m of living space, it’s a split-level house which has a sitting room at the front and a kitchen with modern shaker-style units on a slightly higher level at the rear. 

Upstairs there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. Located around 3km from the Dunkettle Interchange, it’s expected to attract first-time buyer interest.

VERDICT: An affordable, well-kept property located within an easy commute from Cork city.

Baltimore, Co Cork
€225,000
Size	68 sq m (730 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	C2

An affordable option for a buyer looking for a West Cork holiday home, this two-bed apartment at 11 C Mariner’s Court is on the market with a €225,000 guide.

Selling agents Charles McCarthy auctioneers say that the 2003-built ground-floor property is very well maintained and includes a garden at the front. 

Accommodation includes a kitchen/dining/living space with modern fitted units, two bedrooms, and a bathroom.

VERDICT: Affordable and in a popular holiday spot.

Castlemartyr, Co Cork
€205,000
Size	74 sq m (800 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	B3

You could guess from the number of photos and prints on the walls and from the variety of plants in the garden that No 8 Bridgetown Mews in Castlemartyr is a well-minded, owner-occupied home.

Kyle Kennedy of Hegarty Properties says the owners who bought the two-bed mid-terrace house as a new build in 2005 have been busy with home improvements.

“They fitted solar panels to heat the water and a wood burning stove and the house now has a B3 BER,” says Mr Kennedy noting that the owners also decorated the house attractively, fitted a new composite front door and renovated the shower room.

On the market with a guide of €205,000, it’s located within a 10-minute walk from amenities in Castlemartyr and a 10km drive from Midleton.

There’s 72 sq m of living space including a timber-floored living room with a stove as well as a kitchen/diner with ash fitted units. Off the hallway is a guest WC and the first floor has an upgraded shower room and two bedrooms. The owners have fitted a shed, a small raised vegetable bed, and a variety of colourful shrubs including fuchsia and hydrangea into the paved garden at the rear.

Recent sales in Bridgetown Mews include that of No 9 next door, a three-bed terraced property with a large garden which sold for €261,000 last year. Mr Kennedy is also selling No 10, a two-bed end-of-terrace bungalow which recently went sale agreed for in excess of €200,000.

VERDICT: An affordable, ready-to-move-into home.