€274k No 12 The Orchard in Monkstown could be apple of buyer's eye

Smart mid-terraced townhouse has just been upgraded by couple heading to Dublin for new jobs

Take a step up, or a step down, to 12 The Orchard off Fairy Hill Monkstown, guided from €274,000 by agent Glenn O'Connor of DNG Creedon Finn O'Connor

Thu, 08 Feb, 2024 - 17:02

Property Editor Tommy Barker reports

Monkstown, Cork Harbour
€274,000
Size	98 sqm (1,050 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	C1

VIEWINGS are just starting at 12 The Orchard, and they are looking pretty numerous already.

And, while its selling agent expects a surge of first-time buyer interest at this 21-year-old property which he guides at €274,000, it’s very probable he’ll get demand too from traders-down who won’t be too dissuaded by the few steps down to the front door.

Designed by Stephen Hyde of the Hyde Partnership, the mid-terraced, three-bed home at Monkstown’s Fairy Hill with just over 1,000 sq ft is a real box ticker today. In pristine order after a recent overhaul, it has three bedrooms, and a nicely sized back garden, with Cork harbour views out the back over private space, overlooking the old Verolme dockyard and past it to Great Island/Cobh, where enormous ocean-going liners now tie up.

Auctioneer Glenn O’Connor of DNG Creedon Finn O’Connor sold No 12 to its current owners (now vendor) only five years ago when it was “in bog-standard order,” he says, and the Property Price Register shows it made €220,000 at the time.

2005 file pic of Monkstown showing The Orchard, right hand side. Pic Denis ScannellAERIAL PIC

The couple who bought then did a full makeover, redoing the floors, retiling, replacing the kitchen, doing built-ins and robes in the bedrooms and the main living area, as well as tastily redoing the décor from top to bottom. They also have furnished it with some mid-20th century pieces so that now it’s fully up to speed with contemporary looks: Along the way, they’ve also been joined by two small children.

Even as the family has grown, No 12 was doing a great job in accommodating them, but as 2024 comes around they’ve both got job prospects back in Dublin, hence the arrival of their walk-in order home on the early 2024 market.

The aspect, prospect, and location are top notch, as is the house’s condition and presentation. It’s set up by Fairy Hill, above Monkstown and the old pier and rail line (now part of a popular walkway back to the Marina) with a wide sweep of inner harbour and River Lee views, close to the period Pugin & Ashlin architects-designed 1860s Sacred Heart Monkstown parish church.

As well as proximity to the sandstone church and the Scoil Barra Naofa national school, olus ‘old’ Monkstown addresses and various Victorian-era homes of all shapes and sizes, The Orchard itself has some 20 terraced homes in one main section with a further six by the entrance, dating the early the mid-2000s to a design by architect Stephen Hyde.

No 1 of the first six sold within the past year for just over its €265,000 AMV, and was effectively apartment-sized at just over 700 sq ft: the Price Register shows it made €268,000 in 2020, while the Register shows this home selling in its more original state the previous year (mid-2019) for a recorded €220,000, and that was before it got its well-considered and good-looking overhaul.

Monkstown marina has come along since The Orchard was built. 2014 image by Denis Scannell

Now back on the (re)selling job, DNG’s Glenn O’Connor who says it’s in a prime location within a walk of Monkstown’s amenities, about a 20-minute commute from Cork City. It needs no further work and will have huge appeal to many, he adds.

There’s sliding patio door access to an enclosed south/east-aspect back garden, communal parking area to the front with two short flights of steps with handrails either side to the front door. The internal accommodation is quite open plan at ground, with under-stairs storage, three bedrooms above — some with feature arched dormer windows — and a main bathroom with shower over a bath.

VERDICT: Almost certain to be bid closer to the €300,000 mark, especially if an older buyer or a cash buyer who’s already sold and is trading down comes to the fore, not too concerned about the slight disadvantage of stepped access