Starter Homes: Four Cork properties on the market from €215,000

Enjoy the affordability and convenience of apartment living, writes Trish Dromey

Mon, 21 Aug, 2023 - 10:10

Trish Dromey

Midleton, Co Cork
€215,000
Size	65 sq m (700 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	C1

Downsizers as well as first-time buyers will appreciate the affordability and the convenience of apartment living at No 15 The Courtyard, Mill Road in Midleton‘.

So says Ed O’Donovan of Sherry FitzGerald O’Donovan who has just listed the two-bed third floor apartment with a guide of €215,000. “It’s owner occupied and well maintained and is one of a small number of apartments in the complex with two bathrooms,” he reveals.

The attractions of the 65 sq metre property include a balcony and a full-height corner window as well as the convenience of its location within a ten-minute walk from the train station and shops in the town centre.

Mr O’Donovan says its owner-occupier has redecorated since buying the property six years ago. Accommodation includes an open plan living/dining room with a kitchenette, an electric fire, a corner window and a balcony while the apartment also has a bathroom and two bedrooms, including one en suite. Built in the late 1990s, it has a C1 BER.

No 12, a similar two-bed apartment on the second floor, has recently been sold by Mr O’Donovan for €230,000, €25,000 above its guide.

“It was bought by a downsizer and is one of three sales of apartments in The Courtyard to downsizers in recent years,” he says, pointing out that proximity to services, ease of maintenance and the security of a gated development are key attractions for these buyers.

VERDICT: Convenient and affordable for either a young couple or a downsizing one.

Douglas, Cork city
€345,000
Size	112 sq m (1,205 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	C2

Given the shortage of affordable three-bed properties in Douglas, it’s likely that first-time buyers will welcome the availability of No 8 Maryborough Downs on Maryborough Hill, an end-of-terrace three-storey house with a guide of €345,000.

Within days of listing it, John Corbett of Cohalan Downing auctioneers had lined up a dozen viewings —– all with young house-hunting couples. “The Douglas address and the location within a few minutes’ walk from the village is a big attraction,” he says.

Dating from the late 1990s, it is, like a great many houses on the market in recent times, a former rental property.

Mr Corbett says it’s in good condition, has 112 sq metres of accommodation which is spacious for a three-bed and

has gas heating, double glazing and a C2 BER.

At ground level, the accommodation includes an open plan timber floored kitchen/dining/living room with cream shaker-style kitchen units and a gas-burning stove. The first floor has two timber floored bedrooms and a bathroom while the top floor has a good-sized en suite bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe.

The property has a parking space at the front and a south facing garden at the rear. Located off Maryborough Hill, it’s within a four-minute walk from the Douglas Fingerpost Roundabout and less than a 10 minute one from both Douglas Court and Douglas Village shopping centres.

VERDICT: Likely to be in high demand.

Blackrock, Cork
€285,000
Size	73 sq m (785 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	E2

Named either by a supreme optimist or a Kurt Cobain fan, Nirvana, 48 Marian Park in could indeed be the perfect place for a buyer in search of an affordable home in the popular Cork city suburb of Blackrock.

New to the market with a guide of €285,000, it’s a 1960s built three-bed semi with garden space at the front , side and rear. Kevin O’Sullivan of Barry Auctioneers says the well-kept 73 sq metre home offers good options for a new owner.

“Nearby properties have been extended into spacious family homes,” he observes. Downstairs there’s a lounge, a galley-style kitchen and a bathroom while the upstairs had two bedrooms.