Starter homes in Douglas, Tower, Rochestown, and Tivoli from €285,000 

An apartment, a bungalow, a semi-detached, and a terraced house in Cork that should appeal to first-time buyers

Clockwise from upper left: 9 Grange Terrace, Douglas, Cork; 16 Innisfree, Primrose Hill, Tower, Co Cork; 23 Silverbirch, Monastery Road Rochestown, Cork; 6 Tivoli Woods, Tivoli, Cork

Douglas, Cork
€295,000
Size	71sq m (764sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	Exempt

With an attractive redbrick façade and distinctive red and yellow brick window surrounds, No 9 Grange Terrace in Douglas is readily identifiable as Victorian. End of terrace in a row of cottages built to house the workers of Douglas Woollen mills in the 1880s, it has become a BER-exempt structure because of its historic interest.

“It has a great deal of charm and character,” says Áine McLoughlin of AML Property, noting that the ex-rental property got a boiler replacement in 2023 and a roof upgrade in 2025. Inside, it has a large timber-floored living/dining room with some exposed beams and a fireplace. To the rear there’s a small kitchen; while the upstairs has a bathroom and two bedrooms.

Out front is a tiny railed patio area and, to the rear, a longish garden with a concrete patio. Ms McLoughlin says the selling points include its convenient location, within a 15-minute walk of Douglas Village, as well as charm. There hasn’t been too much sales activity in Grange Terrace in recent years and the last recorded sale was in 2022 when No 11 sold for €260,000.

An appealing property — it will need some careful modernisation and updating and new owners might consider ways to make additional use of the garden space.

VERDICT: Could suit a young couple with an appreciation of Victorian charm.

Tower, Co Cork
€310,000
Size	89sq m (958sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	D2

The pretty, detached, 1990s-built bungalows of Primrose Hill in Tower are always in high demand.

Proof of this can be seen from the fact that No 16 (called Innisfree) secured a bid of its €310,000 guide price from one of the first viewers to see it this week.

“Primrose Hill properties are hugely popular with first-time buyers due their affordability and the fact that they are detached,” says Michaella Buckley, of O’Mahony Walsh.

Like all Primrose Hill properties, No 16 is a traditional-style three-bed dormer bungalow with small windows and an old-style cottage door. It has 89sq m of living space including a flat-roofed sunroom.

Inside, it has a sitting/dining room which has a timber fireplace and sliding doors opening into the sunroom. There’s also a small kitchen with fitted units, a bathroom, and a small ground-floor bedroom, while the upper level has a second bathroom and two bedrooms.

A former rental property, it’s well kept but new owners will want to update the decor. The D2 BER, fairly standard for 1990s properties, could also be improved.

At the front, Innisfree has an open-plan garden with parking. At the rear, there is a lawned garden which has a patio and is enclosed at the sides by high hedging, which gives it a good degree of privacy.

Located a 10-minute walk from Tower and five-minute drive from Blarney, it’s just 12km from the city centre.

Further proof of the popularity of Primrose Hill can be seen from the sale of No 82 for €395,000 in January and No 72 for €425,000 last November.

VERDICT: Affordable, detached, and sought after.

Rochestown, Cork
€340,000
Size	91 sq m (980 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	B3

Former rental properties like this three-bed mid-terrace house at 23 Silverbirch, Monastery Road in Rochestown are being snapped up by young couples.

That’s according to Stella Troy of Barry Auctioneers quoting a guide of €340,000 for the 2005-built property which has a B3 BER and is eligible for a green mortgage.

“It’s modern, well maintained, and well-located in a desirable residential area within a 10-minute drive of Douglas Village,” she says. Offering 91 sq metres of living space,It has a kitchen/diner, a living room, a guest WC, three bedrooms, and a bathroom, as well as a patio garden.

VERDICT: The location could prove a big draw.

Tivoli, Co Cork
€285,000
Size	71sq m 764sq ft
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

A two-bed first-floor apartment at 6 Tivoli Woods could be an option for a buyer on the hunt for an affordable property within each reach of Cork City.

“It’s close to the Jack Lynch Tunnel and just a 10-minute drive from the city centre,” says Garry O’Donnell of ERA Downey McCarthy, adding that the 1995-built ex rental property is well maintained and has a B3 BER which makes it eligible for a green mortgage. Its 71sq m of living space includes a living room, a kitchen/diner, a guest WC, and two en-suite bedrooms.

VERDICT: Expected to attract first-time buyers.