Starter Homes: Four Cork properties for less than €300,000

Homes in Conna, Cobh, Douglas and Cork city.

75 Hibernian Buildings, Albert Road, Cork.

Cobh, Co Cork
€295,000
Size	107 sq m (1,151 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

Larger than it might seem, No 35 Riverside Avenue, Rushbrooke Links in Cobh looks like a two storey house from the front but reveals itself to be a three storey one at the rear.

Spacious for a three-bed mid terrace house, it has 107 sq metres of accommodation and a B3 BER which selling agent Garry O’Donnell of ERA Downey McCarthy points out makes it eligible for a Green Mortgage.

“It’s a very well maintained 2005 built house which has been refurbished for sale – both the interior and exterior walls have been painted and the floors have been sanded and varnished,’’ he reveals.

Guiding at €295,000, the property is located close to the Ferry port and the train station and is around three km Cobh town centre.

At entrance level it has a timber floored sitting room with a fireplace, a guest WC off the hallway and a room at the rear which is listed as a bedroom but might be put to other uses.

A stairs at the rear leads down a lower ground floor which has a timber floored kitchen/diner with shaker style units as well as a home office/ utility room.

A second set of stairs in the hallway leads to the upstairs which has a bathroom and two bedrooms – one at the front with an en suite and one at the rear with harbour views.

VERDICT: A modern three-bed house in this price range, with good space and a B3 BER, is sure to attract a lot of first time buyer attention.

Albert Road, Cork
€250,000
Size	51 sq m ( 550 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	D1

Regeneration in the city centre is turning the Albert Road area into a vibrant neighbourhood and creating demand amongst young buyers for properties like 75 Hibernian Buildings.

That’s according to selling agent Aine McLoughlin of AML Property Services who says that bidding on the upgraded two bed mid-terrace house has already gone above its €250,000 guide price.

Small, with just 51 sq metres of living space, it’s been modernised and used as a rental property in recent years.

Downstairs it has a timber floored sitting room with a fireplace and, in an extension at the rear, a tiny modern galley kitchen as well as narrow shower room. The upper floor has two bedrooms including one with an original fireplace. Fitted with double glazing the property has a D1 BER.

“It’s just a short stroll from the city centre from the Marina Market and is within a stone’s throw from Shalom Park,’’ says Ms McLoughlin who expects it to appeal to people working in offices at Navigation Square and One Albert Quay.

“We are getting interest from young people working in the city and have also had some viewings with parents of students attending the School of Architecture and the UCC School of Music,’’ she adds.

In the past, many of the Hibernian Building properties would have been rented but Ms McLoughlin says you can tell from the upgraded facades that an increasing number of them have now become owner occupied.

Recent sales include that of No 17 – an attractively renovated brick faced two- bed terraced house – which sold for €80,000 above its €270,000 guide price last December.

VERDICT: Small, but centrally located and affordable.

Douglas, Cork
€275,000
Size	61 sq m (656 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	2
BER	C1

Offers of €275,000 are being sought for this two-bed third-floor apartment at 33 Douglas House on Maryborough Hill.

Built in 2005, it’s in a gated development located within a 15-minute walk from Douglas village. A 61 sq metre ex-rental property, it has a balcony at the front overlooking a courtyard and also has a designated space in an underground car park.

Selling agent Mark Rose of Rose Property Services says the property is well maintained and that apartment complex has attractively landscaped lush gardens with an electric gate.

VERDICT: Its affordability and proximity to Douglas village could attract a first-time buyer or maybe a downsizer.

Conna, Co Cork
€195,000
Size	110 sq m ( 1,184 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	B
BER	C3

The affordable €195,000 guide price of this three-bed end of terrace in the village of Conna near the Cork/Waterford border might attract buyers from Midleton or Cork city.

That’s the expectation of Stella Troy of Barry Auctioneers who says the 1999-built property – located in the centre of the village- is just half an hour’s drive from the Jack Lynch Tunnel and 25 km from Midleton.

“It has recently been repainted and is in good condition," says Ms Troy, noting that it has a C3 BER rating.

VERDICT: Affordable for a buyer willing to try village life.