Starter Homes: Cork properties on the market from €275k

First-time buyers can choose from homes across Macroom, Ballincollig and Carrigtwohill, writes Trish Dromey

Mon, 22 Apr, 2024 - 09:50

Trish Dromey

Macroom, Co Cork
€299,500
Size	166 sq m (1,787 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3
BER	A3

Selling agent Con Nagle of Global Properties says it offers excellent value at this price, especially when you consider the fact that new four-bed semis in Macroom can cost up to €430,000.

Built in 2006, it was bought and renovated by its current owners in 2020.

“They pumped insulation in the walls, fitted solar panels on the roof and brought the BER up to an A3,” says Mr Nagle.

Including an integral 22 sq m garage used for utilities, the property has 166 sq m of accommodation. At ground level, there’s a spacious open-plan kitchen/dining/living space which has cream gloss units put in by the current owner.

Off the hallway, there’s a guest WC while the upstairs has a bathroom and four bedrooms, including one with an en suite.

“We already have 10 viewings lined up — mostly with buyers from the city,” says Mr Nagle who has seen an increase in viewings with city buyers since the bypass opened.

VERDICT: Affordable, spacious, and — given its energy rating — should be easy to heat.

Ballincollig, Co Cork
€275,000
Size	84 sq m
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	B2

From its extra-large roof terrace, this two-bed top-floor apartment at 21 Tara, An Caislean in Ballincollig almost looks like a timber-clad bungalow.

Selling agent Michaella Buckley of O’Mahony Walsh Auctioneers says that in addition to being large, the southwest-facing balcony is also private, offering scenic countryside views and is well located.

Guiding at €275,000, it’s an 84 sq m apartment with a kitchen, a living room, a small utility, a bathroom and two bedrooms, one en suite.

VERDICT: It stands out because of the size of the roof terrace.

Carrigtwohill, Co Cork
€295,000
Size	87 sq m (940 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

The type of home that many first-time buyers hope to find, No 2 Faoin Tuath, Cul Ard in Carrigtwohill is a modern, well-kept, three-bed semi with a guide of €295,000.

Selling agent Paul Fenton of Sherry FitzGerald expects the major share of interest to come from young couples but says it could also attract investors.

“It’s owner occupied, very well maintained and has a B3 BER,” he says, noting that the location, within a 20-minute drive from Cork City and a five-minute one from Midleton, is both convenient and popular.

Built in 2005 the house has 87 sq m of living space which includes a front living room with a bay window and a fireplace as well as a kitchen diner with cream units and quartz worktops. Upstairs has a bathroom and three bedrooms including an en suite.

The paved driveway at the front has space for four cars and that the back garden which is lawned and has two patios, offers good privacy.

Situated in de sac of 14 houses, the house is within five-minute walk to Carrigtwohill train station which is a 20-minute journey from Kent Train Station in Cork City.