Starter Homes: Four Munster homes from €200,000 to €330,000

Homes to consider in Kenmare, Youghal, Wilton and Carrigaline

Kenmare, Co Kerry
€330,000
Size	96 sq m (1,033 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

A type of modern three-bed property that’s in scarce supply in Kenmare, No 31 Oakwood Manor is set to attract the interest of first-time buyers, downsizers and relocating retirees.

“We get quite a lot of sales to retirees who come to Kenmare to golf,’’ reveals John Daly of Sherry FitzGerald Daly quoting a guide of €330,000 for the 2006 built mid-terrace house.

Describing Oakwood Manor as an especially popular development, he says it’s well maintained, attractively landscaped and well located “within 200 metres of the back nine of Kenmare Golf Course.”

A well-maintained former rental property, No 31 has a B3 BER and 96 sq metres of living space. Downstairs there’s a guest WC and an open-plan kitchen/dining /living room with cream-fitted units and a fireplace. The upstairs has a bathroom and three bedrooms including one en suite.

Partly stone-faced at the front, the house has a paved driveway at the front and a lawned garden with a patio at the rear.

Oakwood Manor, a development of 44 properties in Killowen, is located around a km and a half from shops and amenities in Kenmare town centre.

Sales in Oakwood Manor have in the past year gone as high as €844,400 for No 41, a spacious detached four-bed house which sold in April. In September No 33, a mid-terrace three-bed house two doors away from No 31, sold for €345,000.

VERDICT: Likely to sell well

Youghal, Co Cork
€225,000
Size	103 sq m (1,108 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	C1

Built as a holiday property and later turned into an Airbnb rental, this three-bed mid-terrace house at 85 Carleton Village in Youghal might now be considered as an option for a buyer looking for a full-time home.

So says Niamh Smith of Absolute Property Management who recently relisted the property with a guide of €225,000. “It has sea views and good space (103 sq metres )," she reveals, noting that it’s located a little over a km from Youghal’s main strand and from shops in the town centre.

Built in the late 1990s, it’s one of 92 properties in Carleton village development which overlooks Youghal Bay from a hill above the town and has communal gardens and parking as well as a gated entrance.

Mid terrace in a row of four, it was bought as an investment property by its current owner three years ago. “He renovated, redecorated and put in modern electric radiators,” reveals Ms Smith noting that the BER is now a C1 BER.

At ground level, there’s a sitting/dining room, a kitchen with modern units and a bedroom which might be turned into a home office. The upstairs has a bathroom and two bedrooms including one with an en suite and a small balcony.

Outside at the rear, there is a patio and access to communal lawned areas.

The house is being sold with contents and according to Ms Smith could suit both owner occupiers and investors.

Recent sales in Carleton Village include that of No 46, a three-bed which €195,000 last June. No 85 shows as selling for €115,000 in 2022.

VERDICT: An affordable seaside property

Carrigaline, Co Cork
€195,000
Size	65 sq m (700 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	C1

Currently, the most affordable property available in Carrigaline town, Apartment 8, The Old Mill on Main Street is new to the market with a guide of €195,000.

Linda O’Donovan of Bowe Auctioneers says the third-floor two-bed apartment is a former rental property which has just been refloored and repainted.

On the top floor in a development of 12, it has 65 sq metres of living space which includes an open plan kitchen/diner with fitted units, a bathroom and two bedrooms including one with a small balcony. Built in the early 2000s, it has a C1 BER

VERDICT: Its town centre location and affordability are expected to attract first-time buyers.

Wilton, Cork
€200,000
Size	50 sq m (538 sq ft)
Bedrooms	1
Bathrooms	1
BER	C2

The €200,000 guide price of Apartment 26, Sandbrook, Sarsfield Road in Wilton makes it the most affordable property currently available in Wilton.

On the market with Stella Troy of Barry Auctioneers, it is also the only one-bed apartment now available in Wilton.

Freshly repainted and re-floored for sale, it’s a ground floor 50 sq metre former rental property which has an open plan kitchen/dining/living space as well as one bedroom and a bathroom.

Located off Sarsfield Road, it’s within a ten-minute walk from Wilton Shopping Centre.

VERDICT: Small but affordable