Starter Homes: Four Cork properties on the market from €175k 

First-time buyers can choose from homes in West Cork, Cork city and Carrigaline, writes Trish Dromey

This traditional farmhouse at Bealnalappa has views of rugged Beara hills on two sides but is located just over three km from Castletownbere

Bealnalappa, West Cork
€275,000
Size	118 sq m ( 1,270 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	D1

Rural and scenic without being too remote, this traditional farmhouse at Bealnalappa has views of rugged Beara hills on two sides but is located just over three km from Castletownbere. 

Situated on a rural road which crosses through the peninsula, running from Castletownbere at the bottom up to Eyeries on the top, it’s an attractive three-bed property with a guide of €275,000.

“The owners renovated and extended it around 20 years ago" says Olivia Hanafin of Sherry FitzGerald O’Neill explaining they kept the original beamed ceilings in the old farmhouse but put in oil fired heating and double glazing while also adding on an extension at side for a bathroom and one for a kitchen/diner at the rear.

Now offering 118 sq metres of living space, it has a sitting room, a kitchen/diner and an en suite bedroom on the ground floor as well as two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.

Outside the owner has tamed the third of an acre site which used to be a stretch of wild countryside and turned it into a garden with trees, shrubs and flowers and a little timber summer house.

The farmhouse is located on Foildarriig Road and is less than a ten minute drive from the picturesque village of Eyeries. The rugged Beara hills around it are popular with walkers and hikers an contains many archaeological sites Ms Hanafin says the property has broadband and could be bought for remote working 

VERDICT: It could also suit buyers who want somewhere scenic to spend their retirement.

Old Youghal Road, Cork city
€260,000
Size	78 sq m ( 840 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	B3

You could walk from 12 Balmoral Terrace to St Patrick's Bridge in around 20 minutes but the return journey, being uphill, might take just a little longer.

The selling point for the three-bed mid terrace property is its proximity to the city centre and its affordable €260,000 guide price.

That’s according to Mark Gosling of Behan Irwin & Gosling who says the former rental property, which dates from the 1900s, is well maintained and has a C3 BER.

There’s 78 sq m of living space which includes a sitting room, a dining room, a kitchen and a bathroom at ground level and three bedrooms upstairs.

VERDICT: Affordable and convenient to the city centre.

Carrigaline, Co Cork
€350,000
Size	134 sq m ( 1,442 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

There’s not a great deal left for the purchasers of this three-bed semi 27 Dun Eoin in Carrigaline to do since the current owners have already added an extension and converted the attic.

Spacious, with 134 sq metres including the attic, the property is new to the market with a guide of €350,000. Johnny O’Connor of Barry auctioneers says the owners have taken very good care of it since buying it new in the late 1990s.

Situated near the end of a cul de sac, it overlooks a large green area at the front and is located a little over a km from shops, amenities and schools in the town centre.

Given its space, B3 BER and proximity to a communal green playing area, Mr O’Connor is expecting to see a lot of first time buyers at viewings.

Downstairs it has a timber floored living room with a fireplace as well as a guest WC and a kitchen diner with modern shaker style grey units. An archway in the dining area opens into a sunroom which has windows on three sides as well as a Velux.

Upstairs the property has a bathroom and three bedrooms including one en suite while the floor above has a 4.8 metre long attic room which has two Velux windows and might be used as a home office.

At the front there’s a driveway and at the rear, an enclosed garden.

Recent sales in Dun Eoin include that of No 66 and No 54 which both sold last October – the first for €341,000 and the second for €350,000.

VERDICT: Set to attract couples who have young children and ones who are thinking about having some.

Tyrone Place, Cork city
€175,000
Size	58 sq m ( 624 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	G

There’s little as affordable in Cork city at 34 Tyrone Place off Tower Street, a two-bed mid-terrace house with a guide of €175,000.

Located less than a km from the South Mall, it has, according to selling agents ERA Downey McCarthy, been attracting a lot of interest due to its convenient location and affordability.

A brick-faced property dating from the 1900s, it has 58 sq metres of living space including a dining room,a kitchen,a living room and a shower room at ground level and a bathroom and two bedrooms upstairs.

VERDICT: It's small and in need of modernisation but is affordable and central.