Starter Homes: Four city and county homes for less than 300,000 – Irish Examiner

Cobh, Co Cork 255,000

From the decked patio at this cute waterfront cottage at No 2 Carrigaloe in Cobh, you can see right across to Passage West and Glenbrook, and you can watch ships and boats sail by.

Selling agents DNG Spillane say you could also go boating or kayaking from the stony beach behind the bungalow.

A three-bed semi detached property dating from the 1950s, it was renovated and upgraded as a holiday home some years back.

Its been tastefully done and is charming and cosy with stunning waterfront views, says auctioneer Donna Ryan-Pender quoting a guide of 255,000.

The front door opens into a narrow kitchen which has modern blue/grey units, painted beams on the ceiling, and river views at the rear through a glass-panelled door and a window. The sitting/dining room alongside it has a high timber-panelled ceiling, a fireplace, and sliding patio doors opening out on to the decking overlooking the water.

Other accommodation includes a bathroom and three bedrooms. Extending along the rear of the property is a garden area which includes a decked patio outside the living room as well as a paved one outside the kitchen.

Situated across the road from Carrigaloe train station, the property is about 4kmfrom Cobh, and an 18-minute train ride from Cork city. Ms Ryan-Pender expects viewing from downsizers, first-time buyers, and holiday home hunters.

VERDICT: Cute and quirky with a garden that doesnt need mowing and has all-season views.

Banteer, Co Cork 195,000

Country cottages with a bit of land offering the chance to get away from it all such as Gortmore Cottage in Banteer are being looked at in a whole new light in the pandemic.

So says John Singleton of Sherry FitzGerald ODonovan, pointing out that it offers the kind of space people want to work from home, to roam around in, and to garden. An extended two-bed cottage with 1,300 sq ft of living space and a half-acre site and a haggard, its new to the market.

Estimated to be around 80 years old, its been owned by a few generations of the same family who have upgraded it with double-glazing, and extended it with a sunroom and two attic rooms.

Its a traditional cottage full of old-world character which is located three miles from Banteer, eight from Mallow, and just a 35-minute drive from Cork, says Mr Singleton, noting it has an upgraded D2 BER rating.

Accommodation includes a tiled kitchen dining room with fitted units, a timber-floored lounge with a fireplace as well as a sunroom at the rear. To the side, theres a bathroom and a utility room. Upstairs are two large bedrooms, one accessed from the kitchen and one from a spiral staircase in the sunroom.

To the rear theres a large lawned area bounded by trees while across the road at the front is a quarter of an acre haggard which was originally used for cows.

Mr Singleton believes this property is affordable, charming and spacious enough to attract a city buyer.

VERDICT: An old-world cottage in a tranquil location where social distancing shouldnt prove difficult.

Pinecroft, Douglas, Cork 285,000

Built in the 1980s as a three-bed semi, No 8 Glenside, Pinecroft, Douglas, now has four bedrooms and a much-upgraded B3 BER.

A modernised property with large kitchen extension and ground-floor bedroom, its on the market with Glenn OConnor of DNG Creedon. Ground floor accommodation also includes living room, guest WC, utility closet, and sizable kitchen/dining/living area with high gloss units. Upstairs is a bathroom and three bedrooms.

Mr OConnor says its size, condition and the sought after Douglas location are all strong selling points.

VERDICT: Unexpectedly large and modern for a property which still has its 1980s faade.

The interior of No 1 Kinsale, The Headlands, on Sarsfield Road in Wilton has been decorated and maintained with greater care than is sometimes seen in apartments.

Wilton, Cork 175,000

Its owner-occupied and in super condition says Mark Gosling of Beehan Irwin & Gosling auctioneers who expects the two-bed, ground floor property, which has a guide of 175,000 to appeal to first time buyers, investors and downsizers.

Situated in a gated complex built in the late 1990s, its ideally located within a 10-minute walk from Wilton Shopping Centre.

VERDICT: Affordable, well-located and very well minded.

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Starter Homes: Four city and county homes for less than 300,000 - Irish Examiner