First time buyers are lapping up €420k Dripsey home with hot tub

Turnkey home with neat landscaping is appealing to first-time buyers

7 O'Callaghan Place, Model Village, Dripsey

Dripsey, Co Cork
€420,000
Size	164sq m (1,765sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	C1

Young couples and first-time buyers are understandably enthusiastic about No 7 O’Callaghan Place in Dripsey’s Model Village, less than a half-hour drive from Cork city.

All of the big-ticket items like rewiring, replumbing, and insulation have been taken care of by the current owners, who bought the bungalow less than 10 years ago and embarked on a thorough refurbishment and modernisation programme.

And even though it’s a two-bed, don’t be fooled into thinking it’s a small house: At 1,765sq ft, it has a larger floor plan than a lot of semi-ds. The main open-plan living space is nicely roomy, with lots of quality features to be seen in the stylish kitchen (marble island counter, fitted wine rack, quartz countertops), while a double-sided, stone-clad open chimney breast is a clever divider between dining and family room.

On a decent site, No 7 has large lawns front and back with some attractive landscaping in one west-facing corner where there’s a raised patio, in-built feature log storage and a ready-to-go hot tub which is part of the sale. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the house is already gone above the €420,000 asking, with an offer of €425,000. Two parties are actively bidding, says selling agent Robert O’Keefe, of Irish & European, who brought it to market a week ago.

“It’s all young couples and first-time buyers looking,” he says, adding that it’s just a five-minute drive from Coachford and close also to The National Rowing Centre, Coachford Greenway, and Iniscarra Lake and Walkway.

Ballincollig and Cork City are reachable in 15 minutes and 25 minutes respectively.

VERDICT: No additional outlays likely for first time buyers — unless you want to extend down the line, as there is scope to do so, with planning permission. Good-sized attic with lots of storage.