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

Properties in Mount Oval, Fair Hill, Clonakilty and Gurranabraher

40 Maple Court, Mount Oval Village

Mount Oval, Cork
€235,000
Size	48 sq m (516 sq ft)
Bedrooms	1
Bathrooms	1
BER	C1

 As a well-looked-after, well-located one-bed apartment with an affordable €235,000 guide price, No 40 Maple Court in Mount Oval can be expected to generate good first-time buyer interest.

There’s always a demand for affordable move-in-ready properties, says Dermot Lynch of Howard Auctioneers, explaining that this ground-floor apartment was bought as a new build in 2004 by its owner and decorated to a high standard.

Its 48 sq metres of living space has cream tiling throughout and at the rear includes a living/dining room which has a bioethanol fireplace and patio doors and adjoins a kitchenette with modern white gloss handleless units.

Off the hallway at the front, the apartment has a shower room as well as a tiled bedroom with plantation shutters and a built-in wardrobe. Entered at the front through a small cobble lock patio, the property has an enclosed gravelled courtyard garden with circular patio feature and a back gate. A designated parking space is also included.

Located within a short walk from Mount Oval Village Square, the property is 3km from Douglas village.

The most recent sale of a one-bed apartment in Maple Court was of No 34, which came on the market last year with a guide of €235,000 and sold for €260,000. More recently, No 22, a two-bed apartment with a guide of €235,000 sold in August for €285,000.

VERDICT: Small but affordable and well cared for. The patio garden could be a selling point.

Fair Hill, Cork city
€300,000
Size	77 sq m (828 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	C1

This semi-detached house at No 2 Fairhill Villas is highly unusual being one of just a tiny number of Victorian rebricked properties on Fair Hill.

“It was built as an English army house and still has its original red brick frontage,’’ reveals auctioneer Mark Gosling of Behan, Irwin and Gosling explaining that it has been comprehensively modernised and upgraded by owners who bought it in 2018.

A three-bed property with 77 sq metres of living space, it has had its roof, wiring, plumbing windows and heating upgraded and now has a C1 BER. “ It has new kitchen units, new bathrooms and flooring and has double glazed windows and modern electric heating ” says Mr Gosling quoting a guide of €300,000.

Located at the front is a tiled kitchen/diner with shaker style grey units and at the rear a guest WC, a small utility and laminate floored living room with patio doors. The upstairs has a tiled bathroom and three carpeted bedrooms.

While the owners have done a lot of work on the interior but didn’t get around to doing much with the west facing garden so the new owners will want to do some landscaping. There’s also a smaller railed garden at the front with a pedestrian gate.

Part of a pair of Victorian semis in Fairhill Villas, the house is located a little over one km from Cork city centre.

Mr Gosling says it’s an attractively upgraded property which is going to appeal to both young couples and investors.

The Property Price Register shows No 2 Fairhill Villas selling for €152,000 in 2018.

VERDICT: Much more modern on the inside than its redbrick frontage would lead you to expec.t

Gurranabraher, Cork city
€290,000
Size	65 sq m (700 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	1
BER	E1

A well-minded, three-bed semi at 60 Mount Eden Road in Gurranabraher with a guide of €290,000 could be an option for a young couple in search of a first home.

So says Gretchen Kelleher of Barry auctioneer who recently listed the 65 sq metre house.“It’s been upgraded with double glazing and gas heating and more recently fitted with a modern bathroom.

Accommodation includes a kitchen with modern units and a living room as well as a bathroom and three bedrooms. 

Outside it has a garden with parking and a lawn and covered patio at the rear. The E1 BER may need attention 

VERDICT: A well-kept property within a 20 minute walk from the city centre.

Clonakilty, Co Cork
€175,000
Size	58 sq m ( 630 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms
BER	G

Total renovation will be required at 2 Gullane Cottages, two km from Clonakilty, but it has a large garden and development potential.

Up for auction on October 29, it’s on the market with a guide of €175,000. Dating from the 1950s, it’s a 58 sq metre semi-detached cottage with a G BER rating, Keith O’Sullivan of Hodnett Forde auctioneers says a new owner could apply for a vacant property refurbishment grant.

VERDICT: An affordable property which could attract a buyer with DIY skills.