Starter Homes: Four Cork properties on the market starting at €220k

Because of the absence of an S on its nameplate, this pretty, mid-terrace cottage at Saleen in East Cork has ended up being called ‘íocháin’ which translates as laundry instead of ‘síocháin’ which means peace.

Selling agents Cronin Wall Properties say the mix-up, which the owners didn’t get around to fixing, came about because a non-Irish person made the name plaque for them.

The small three-bed, mid-terrace house, located six km from Midleton, is on the market with a guide of €220,000. Auctioneer Shay Cronin says previous owners renovated it four years ago.

“They put in a new kitchen, new flooring and upgraded the bathroom,” he says, noting that the current owners who bought it in 2021 have added a stove.

Small, with just 63 sq m of living space, the property has a sitting room with a fireplace and a stove, a kitchen with modern cream units, a bathroom and a ground-floor bedroom. Upstairs there are two bedrooms with sloped ceilings and Velux windows. Fitted with double glazing and oil-fired heating, it has an E1 energy rating which will need attention.

Situated in Saleen village, the property is on street at the front and has a long garden at the rear.

“It’s attractive and affordable and trumps an apartment because of its garden,” says Mr Cronin, adding that it’s within a short drive of the East Cork coastline at Rostellan.

VERDICT: Affordable and pretty but, to prevent confusion, needs a name change.

It’s probably due to its close proximity to Douglas village that No 13 Belgard Downs in Rochestown quickly secured a bid of its €325,000 guide.

“It’s just a seven-minute walk from the village,” reveals auctioneer Jeremy Murphy, the selling agent for the 1980s-built, three-bed, end-of-terrace house.

Well maintained with a C3 BER, it has recently paved, easy to maintain gardens at both front and rear.

Overlooking the front garden there’s a carpeted living room with an archway leading through to a kitchen/diner at the rear. Its 88 sq m of living space also includes three bedrooms and a bathroom.

VERDICT: Seems affordable for Douglas.

Three-bed semis are scarce in Wilton and, when available, tend to have guide prices of above €350,000. Barry Auctioneers are thus expecting No 17 Green Park, Wilton Lawn, a recently modernised semi-detached bungalow with an asking price of €340,000, to attract strong first-time buyer interest.

Bidding has already gone to €343,000, says auctioneer Gretchen Kelleher, noting that the key selling point is the mature location within a short walking distance of Cork University Hospital and Wilton Shopping Centre.

Renovated in 2017, it’s a 1970s built property which has been owner occupied. “It has a mix of triple and double glazed windows, gas heating, laminate flooring on the ground floor, a kitchenette with modern units and upgraded bathrooms,” reveals Ms Kelleher.

Although the owners have modernised and redecorated, the BER is an F, so new owners will need to think of improving it. Accommodation in the 93 sq m house includes a living room with a stove as well as an L-shaped kitchen/dining room with a modern kitchenette at the rear. There’s also a ground-floor bedroom and a bathroom and two upstairs bedrooms, including one en suite.

Ms Kelleher says the driveway has parking for four cars and that the garden at the rear has been well-maintained. Some neighbours have built extensions at the rear so this could be an option for new owners. The most recent sales in Green Park include that of No 22 which sold for €252,500 in 2022 and No 14 which went for €320,000 the year before.

VERDICT: Mature and well kept, it’s one of the least expensive three-bed semis currently on offer in Wilton.

Ten sets of viewers showed up for the first showing of 15 Barr An Bhaile, Maulbaun in Passage West and bidding quickly passed the €235,000 guide price by €25,000.

Conor Lynch of James G Coughlan auctioneers says the early 2000s-built house has a C3 BER and is in good condition but would benefit from some modernisation.

Offering 87 sq m of accommodation it has a living room, a kitchen/dining room, a guest WC, three bedrooms, and a bathroom.

VERDICT: Three beds in this price range are rare.