Starter Homes in Little Island, Carrigtwohill, Coachford, and Conna from €250,000

Two Cork city and two Cork county homes for first-time buyers

Clockwise from upper left: 3 Cottage Court, Clash Road, Little Island, Cork; 15 An Ródán, Cúl Ard, Carrigtwohill, Cork; 16 Cois Cille, Conna, Co Cork; Knockaneown, Coachford, Co Cork

Little Island, Cork
€345,000
Size	105 sq m (1,133 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B1

A dream home for a first-time buyer, No 3 Cottage Court, Clash Road in Little Island, has an upgraded B1 energy rating and a revamped interior.

Seeking €345,000 for the 2005 three-bedroom, end-of-terrace dormer property, Sean McCarthy, of ERA Downey McCarthy, says it’s a beautifully presented property and has already attracted a lot of attention.

The owners have installed triple-glazed windows and doors, insulated the walls and added solar panels, reconfigured the layout of the ground floor, upgraded the bathrooms, and tended the garden.

A spacious, bright, contemporary kitchen/diner takes up a quarter of the property’s 105sq m of accommodation. Fitted with matte-black units, oak worktops, and stainless-steel-effect splash backs, it has a large set of patio doors. The owners increased the size of the doors and the window in this room during renovations. Glass-panel double doors connect the kitchen/diner to a modern sitting room at the front. Off the hallway, there’s a guest WC, while upstairs has a bathroom and three bedrooms, one en suite. The property has a rear garden and a patio. A development of just three houses, Cottage Court is a few minutes’ drive from Eastgate Retail Park and 4km from the Dunkettle Interchange.

VERDICT: New owners won’t need to do a thing.

Carrigtwohill, Cork
€325,000
Size	116 sq m (1,248 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B2

A modern, B2-rated, three-bed duplex with a price of €325,000, No 15 An Ródán, at Cúl Ard in Carrigtwohill, is certain to attract interest.

Selling agent Niamh Smyth, of Absolute Property, says that the well-kept former rental property, which has been repainted and recarpeted, will likely be bought by an owner-occupier.

“Built in 2008, it offers 116 sq m of living space and includes a south-facing balcony with views of green woodland at the rear,” she says. It has a parking space outside the front door. At the lower level, the duplex has a kitchen/diner with cream shaker-style units and a large window overlooking the parking area at the front. At the rear is a sitting room with an electric fire and a door to a decked balcony.

The lower level also has a guest WC, while the top floor has a bathroom and three bedrooms with sloping ceilings, including one en suite.

An Ródán is of a complex of 24 apartments, a 15-minute walk from shops and the train station, which offers regular services to Cork city. “It would suit employees working in the pharmaceutical and technology companies in Carrigtwohill or in Little Island,” says Ms Smyth, who also expects it to appeal to commuters from Cork city.

The most recent sale of a three-bed duplex in An Ródán was No 11, which sold in 2024 for €340,000, well in excess of its €275,000 guide price, In February, No 4, a two-bed ground-floor apartment in the development, sold for €283,000, exceeding its guide by €58,000.

VERDICT: First-time buyers are always on the hunt for move-in ready properties at this price level.

Conna, Co Cork
€270,000
Size	95 sq m (1,031 sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	3
BER	B3

The back garden of 16 Cois Cille in Conna village is a lot larger than you typically get with a three-bed semi and offers ample scope to possibly to build an extension.

With a guide of €270,000, the house being sold by Adrianna Hegarty of Hegarty Property who says it’s been owner-occupied and is a very well-maintained. The 2006-built property includes a living room, kitchen/diner and guest WC as well as a bathroom and three bedrooms, including an en suite.

VERDICT: An affordably priced property with a very sizable garden

Coachford, Co Cork
€250,000
Size	106 sq m ( 1,150 sq ft)
Bedrooms	2
Bathrooms	1
BER	C

A two-bed dormer bungalow in Coachford might suit a buyer thinking of moving out of Cork city in search of an affordable home.

Located at Knockaneowen within walking distance of the village, it’s listed with Killian Lynch Auctioneers at €250,000. Built in the 1990s, it’s on 0.2acre and has large, easy-to-keep gardens

It has a sunroom, a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom as well as a large timber floored bedroom in the converted attic.

VERDICT: Affordable and spacious, it’s within a 40-minute drive from Cork city.