Starter Homes: Four Cork properties starting at €240,000

Well-maintained, modern three-bed semis like this, 3 The Lawn, Priory Court seem to be in short supply in Watergrasshill.

“Immediately after I listed it I had two separate calls from people telling me they have been waiting quite a while for something like this to come on the market in the area,’’ reveals Lawrence Sweeney of Savills auctioneers, quoting a guide of €280,000.

Built in 2005, it’s a 102 sq m house with a C2 BER. “The current owners have done some redecorating and put down some new flooring since buying it two years ago. It’s in excellent decorative order,” says Mr Sweeney.

Accommodation includes a carpeted living room with a fireplace and a set of double doors opening at the rear into a kitchen/diner with fitted units.

Under the stairs there’s a guest WC and up on the first floor there is a bathroom and three bedrooms including one en suite and a small one which looks as if it’s recently been redecorated as a nursery.

The owners have also reorganised the back garden putting in new decking and gravelled areas.

Recent sales in The Priory include that of No 15 — a three-bed semi which sold last month for €318,750, well in excess of its €280,000 guide price. The Property Price register shows No 3 selling for €247,000 in early 2022.

An online property search this week showed No 3 as the only second-hand three-bed semi listed in Watergrasshill.

VERDICT: Seems to be in demand.

The sale of this former rental property at 15 Monastery Gardens in Kinsale might be seen as an excellent opportunity for a first-time buyer.

Recently listed with a guide of €295,000 it’s a four-bed end-of-terrace house dating from the 1990s which, according to Cearbhall Behan of Behan, Irwin, & Gosling auctioneers, is attractive, well-kept, and well-located within a short walk from the town centre. 

VERDICT: Affordable for Kinsale, well-suited for first-time buyers.

This well-maintained, well decorated, owner occupied three-bed mid-terrace property at 44 Woodlands in Clonakilty is proving very attractive to both young couples and downsizing ones.

That’s according to Andy Donoghue of Hodnett Forde auctioneers, who has just listed the early 2000s built house with a guide of €310,000.

“It’s in excellent condition and has been redecorated by current owners who insulated the attic and also pumped insulation into the cavity walls,” he says, noting that they added clever storage solutions under the stairs.

The property includes a front sitting room with a timber fireplace, a kitchen/diner with cream fitted units and tiled flooring, and under the stairs there’s a built-in desk and a cupboard.

On the first floor there’s a bathroom and three bedrooms including one en suite and one fitted out as an office.

The owners seem to be fans of low-maintenance gardens since the space at the front and rear are paved. “The patio garden at the rear is a west facing sun trap,” says Mr Donoghue. Overlooking a green area at the front, the house is located within a 10-minute walk from amenities in Clonakilty town centre. Noting properties of this type are scarce in the town , Mr Donoghue says he expects it to attract investors.

Recent sales in Woodlands include that of No 37, another three-bed mid-terrace house which sold for €295,500 in July. Back in January No 42, one of the few detached houses in the development went for €330,000.

VERDICT: An attractive, centrally located, modern home.

Although in need of upgrading and modernisation, 28 Elsinore Heights in Midleton is affordably priced, spacious and well located close to the town centre.

The 1970s-built three-bed semi is listed with Hegarty Properties, who note that say it has 121 sq metres of space including a former garage area could be converted. Adrianna Hegarty says new owners might also build above the garage space and could apply for a grant to improve the G BER.

VERDICT: Affordable with lots of potential.