Starter Homes: Four Cork properties on the market from €240k

First-time buyers can choose from homes across West Cork, Rochestown, Blackrock and Cork city, writes Trish Dromey

Mon, 25 Mar, 2024 - 10:19

Trish Dromey

Skibbereen, Co. Cork
€295,000
Size	113 sq m (1,216 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	C1

The owners of 32 The Hawthorns in Skibbereen haven’t let the grass grow under their feet since they bought their four-bed, semi-detached home in 2022.

“They refurbished the whole house and put in new flooring, a new high gloss kitchen, upgraded the bathrooms and replaced the central heating boiler,” reveals Niamh Moloney of Sherry FitzGerald O’Neill, noting that they also put down porcelain paving in the back garden which is now grassless and easy to maintain.

Such is the level of interest from young couples and downsizers that she received an offer of in excess of the €295,000 asking within days of listing it.

Built in 2005, the 113 sq m property has a C1 BER, carried out before the current owners bought it.

Redecorated throughout, the house has a front living room with a fireplace and a stylish modern kitchen. “This has sleek white, high gloss units with quartz worktops and a blue centre island,” says Ms Moloney.

On the first floor there’s a bathroom and four bedrooms, including one with an en suite. To the rear there’s an easy-to-keep garden with space for sitting out, raised planters, and a blue shed.

Located around 1km from the town centre, it overlooks a green area at the front. The Property Price Register shows it selling for €250,000 in 2022.

VERDICT: Bright, modern, and stylish.

Rochestown, Co. Cork
€245,000
Size	67 sq m ( 721 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	C3

Well-kept and affordable, Apartment 32 at Ronayn’s Court in Rochestown is a two-bed ground floor property with a guide of €245,000.

Cearbhall Behan of Behan Irwin & Gosling says it’s a well maintained, owner occupied apartment which will appeal to first time buyers, downsizers and investors.

Situated in a 2001 built gated complex of 36 apartments, it’s located around two and a half km from Douglas village.

Offering 67 sq m of living space it has a carpeted living room, a kitchen diner with fitted units as well as a bathroom and two bedrooms, one en suite.

VERDICT: Affordable properties in the Rochestown area are always in demand

Capwell Road, Cork City
€350,000
Size	78 sq m (840 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	C3

Quite a lot of renovation work has been going on at Capwell Road, much of it being carried out by owner-occupier buyers who are happy to find a home within a-15 minute walk of the city centre.

Among the properties which have undergone renovation work is Adare, No 21 — a three-bed, end-of-terrace house, recently listed with a guide of €350,000. Jason O’Regan of O’Mahony Walsh auctioneers says improvements made by the owners in the last four years has brought the BER of the 1920s-built house up to a C3.

“They fitted a condensing gas boiler, re-slabbed ceilings, insulated the exterior of the kitchen extension and pumped cavity walls and dry lined external ones,” he says; the house was underpinned around 20 years ago.

Accommodation includes a laminate-floored living room with an original timber fireplace, a family room, and in an extension on a slightly lower level at the rear, a bathroom, and a kitchen with green painted units. The upper floor has three bedrooms including one with an en suite bathroom accessed by a sliding door.

The gardens at front and rear have been gravelled for ease of maintenance and to create space to park two cars.

Just off High Street, the house is within 1km of the city centre. There have been 12 sales on Capwell Road in the last three years, with prices paid ranging from €85,000 for No 28 to €340,000 for No 58, both in 2021.

VERDICT: Will appeal to first-time buyers and possibly to investors as it doesn’t have a rent cap

Blackrock, Cork city
€240,000
Size	75 sq m ( 807 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	E2

Affordable options for a buyer who wants to live in Blackrock, but doesn’t have a million Euros to spend, include this mid terrace three -bed property at 2 Dundanion Terrace with a guide of €240,000.

Listed with Timothy Sullivan & Associates, it’s a 75 sq metre house dating from the 1930s which has an E2 BER rating and is in need of modernisation and upgrading.

VERDICT: The location on the Blackrock Road, within a five minute walk from the pier, combined with the affordable guide price, means it’s certain to attract a lot of attention.