Starter Homes: Four Cork properties on the market starting at €195,000

There are plenty of city spaces on offer for first time buyers as well as a cozy suburb find, writes Trish Dromey

33 Charleston Maltings, Midleton

High Street, Cork city
€195,000
Size	35 sq m (376 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	F

In addition to being one of Cork city’s tiniest properties, No 45 High Street may very well be the only one in the entire city which has a pull-down ladder on its sitting room ceiling.

This quirky and unusual feature is used to access a small galleried mezzanine area which provides much-needed storage space in a mid-terrace house which has just 35 sq m of accommodation.

Affordable with a guide of €195,000, it’s on the market with Stella Troy of Barry auctioneers who says it’s cosy, quirky and very centrally located but will need upgrading.

The living room has timber flooring and a fireplace as well as a high-beamed ceiling and a pull down ladder.

Alongside it are two tiny bedrooms which a new owner will surely want to amalgamate into one. Other quirky features include the perspex roof on the rear extension which houses the tiny bathroom and a small kitchen with modern white units.

“The owner who bought the house in the 1990s put in flooring, kitchen units, and opened up the ceiling to create the mezzanine,” says Ms Troy, noting that he reroofed the house but not the extension.

Fitted with double glazing and gas heating, the property has an F BER Ms Troy says that the property has attracted a steady stream of viewers, mostly first time buyers as well as a few investors.

VERDICT: Dinky, quirky, affordable, and closely connected to the city centre.

Midleton, Co Cork
€210,000
Size	84 sq m (904 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	B3

On the waterfront by the Ballinacurra Estuary in Midleton, No 33 Charleston Maltings on Bailick Road is a modern two-bed duplex with an asking price of €210,000.

Kyle Kennedy of Hegarty Property says it’s a well-maintained property built in 2005. 

Accommodation includes an open-plan kitchen/dining/living space with a double-height ceiling, gloss units and a triangular window. 

There’s also a bedroom and a bathroom as well as a bright galleried mezzanine bedroom on the upper floor.

VERDICT: Affordable for a young buyer, especially as the furniture is included.

Blackrock, Cork city
€315,000
Size	110 sq m (1,184 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B2

For its €315,000 guide price, this three-bed duplex at No 8 Blackrock Grove Eden offers good space and an attractive patio/balcony.

On the market with Jeremy Murphy Auctioneers, it’s a well maintained owner occupied home with 110 sq metres of accommodation.

“It was built in 2007, has a B2 BER and is in excellent condition,’’ auctioneer Fionn Dwyer says, noting that the location, close to all amenities in Blackrock, is very popular.

On its lower level, the property has a large laminate floored L shaped open plan living/dining area where the owners have found corner space to set up a home office.

A glass door at the far end of the living area opens onto a pot plant covered patio/balcony. From here, a concrete staircase leads down to a communal garden located in the centre of the complex. “The property has one allocated parking space and there are ample visitor spaces in the development,’’ Mr Dwyer reveals.

In the hallway there’s a guest WC and stairs to the upper floor which has a bathroom and three carpeted bedrooms including an en suite one.

“Amenities in the locality include Aldi and SuperValu as well as cafés, bars, and sports facilities,” Mr Dwyer says, adding that Mahon Point Shopping Centre, Blackrock village, and the Blackrock greenway are all within easy reach.

VERDICT: Offers more space than a first time buyer can usually hope to find.

Turners Cross, Cork city
€315,000
Size	80 sq m (861 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	F

New to the market with a guide of €315,000, Avondhu on Upper Friars Road in Turner’s Cross is a pretty, detached bungalow with excellent potential.

Jim Coughlan of Games G Coughlan believes that the two-bed 1930s-built property could suit either a young couple or a downsizing one. Although it’s been partially renovatedwith double glazed windows and upgraded boiler, it has an F BER and will require both updating and modernisation.

VERDICT: Ideal for ground-floor living but could, like some neighbouring houses, be extended upwards.