Starter Homes: Four Cork properties on the market from €190k

First-time buyers can choose from homes across Blarney, Douglas, Mayfield and Tivoli, writes Trish Dromey

Tue, 19 Mar, 2024 - 10:05

Trish Dromey

Blarney, Co. Cork
€349,000
Size	83 sq m (830 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	A3

Modern, easy to keep and easy to heat, this A3 rated two bed semi-detached bungalow at 46 Cluain Ard in Blarney is the type of property that downsizers love.

So says Barry Nagle of Global Properties who thinks that downsizers who want to buy it may face competition from young couples hunting for a modern home in this price range (€349,000 guide ) in the Blarney area “ It’s in showhouse condition and doesn’t need a thing done to it,” says Mr Nagle noting that modern bungalows like this one tend to be in very short supply.

Accommodation includes a laminate floored front lounge with a stove and alcove shelving as well as a kitchen-diner at the rear which has tiled flooring and turquoise shaker style units.

The 83 sq m bungalow also has a utility room, a bathroom and two bedrooms. There’s a driveway at the front and at the rear, an easy to maintain garden with Astroturf lawn, a patio and a modern garden shed.

One of just a small number of bungalows in the Cluain Ard development , the property is located a little over a km from the centre of Blarney.

“It’s within easy reach of Blarney Woollen Mills and of shops, bars and restaurants and also offers easy access to Apple computers,’’ says Mr Nagle.

In September 2020, this property sold new for €300,000.

VERDICT: Ready to go.

Douglas, Cork city
€275,000
Size	52 sq m ( 560 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	C2

This well-kept two-bed apartment at 7 Dunmahon on South Douglas Road is “a well-presented owner occupied home which has been recently renovated”, says Michael Downey of ERA Downey McCarthy who is seeking offers of €275,000 for the first floor property around 500m from Douglas village.

VERDICT: Small but well-kept and much in demand because of its location

Mayfield, Cork city
€300,000
Size	87 sq m (936 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	C1

When the owners of 24 Silverheights Drive in Mayfield decided to modernise the interior of their 1970s built gable fronted three -bed home, they seemed to have pulled out all the stops.

Seeking offers of €300,000 for the semi-detached dormer property, Cory Galvin of Jeremy Murphy auctioneers says it was underpinned in 2019 and comprehensively upgraded in 2020.

“The owners rewired the house, drylined all the walls and put in a new kitchen and a new bathroom and put down laminate flooring downstairs and carpets upstairs,’’ he says noting that they also installed a new gas boiler, replaced all the interior doors and fitted new windows and exterior doors.

As a result of all this, the interior now looks smart and modern and the BER rating has gone up to a C1.

Offering 87 sq m of living space the house has a laminate floored front living room as well as kitchen/ diner with modern grey units, a section of mosaic patterned wallpaper and a yellow half door. Also at ground level there’s an upgraded bathroom with patterned tiling and a bedroom /office. The upstairs has two bedrooms including one at the rear with views out across city gardens and rooftops.

Located a little over one km from the Lower Glanmire Road, the property is within four km of both the city centre and the Dunkettle Interchange.

The most recent sale in Silverheights was of no 4 which went for €330,000 last January. This property, No 24 shows on the Property Price Register as selling for €224,000 in 2018.

VERDICT: Already renovated properties in this price range always look good to first-time buyers.

Tivoli, Cork city
€190,000
Size	48 sq m (516 sq ft)
Bedrooms	1
Bathrooms	1
BER	C3

A Cork city renter aspiring to become a homeowner will find few cheaper options than this one-bed apartment at 73 Tivoli Woods which is guiding €190,000.

A first floor property in a gated 2001- built complex in Tivoli, it’s on the market with Barry auctioneers who say it’s well maintained and well located and is set to attract first time buyers.