Starter Homes: Four Cork properties for sale starting at €225,000

No 3 Martello Mews, Rushbrooke in Cobh

Albert Road, Cork city

€279,000

Size

62 sq m (66

sq ft)

Bedrooms

2

Bathrooms

1

BER

F

CONVENIENT to Cork City centre and to offices at the quays, No 12 Geraldine Place off Albert Rd is a two-bed terraced house with a guide of €279,000.

Kevin Barry of Barry Auctioneers says the former rental property is very well maintained and would make an excellent starter home.

Accommodation includes a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom as well as two bedrooms upstairs. The F BER will need to be looked at.

"It's just a five-minute walk from the offices at One Albert Quay," says Mr Barry, noting that it was previously rented for €1,600 a month.

VERDICT: Affordable and convenient.

Barrington's Avenue, Cork city

€225,000

Size

50 sq m (538 sq ft)

Bedrooms

2

Bathrooms

1

BER

F

Properties on Barrington's Avenue off the Blackrock Road can be very expensive but the €225,000 guide on this one at 4 The Cottages makes it eminently affordable.

The tiny two-bed end-of-terrace house dates from the 1890s and has just 50 sq m of living space. "It's cute with timber shutters at the front and its location is highly sought after," says auctioneer Sonya Irwin of Behan Irwin Gosling.

Used until now as a rental property, it has a living area, a small kitchenette, as well as a bathroom at ground level, while the upstairs has two small bedrooms.

The BER is an F and the house needs a decorative upgrade, but Ms Irwin is expecting a high level of first-time buyer interest.

"It's tucked away in a cul-de-sac off Barrington's Avenue and is within a few minutes’ walk from the Atlantic Pond and the Marina," she says, noting that it's also close to Ballintemple.

The cottage has a small yard at the rear but the lack of a garden shouldn't be an issue because there are acres of green space in Marina Park.

Since 2010 there seem to have been just eight sales of properties on Barrington's Avenue. One of these was of Aberdeen, a Georgian house which sold for €1.45m in 2020. In recent weeks, Sleepy Hollow, a nearby bungalow with a guide of €925,000 has gone sale agreed.

VERDICT: An affordable first home with a really good address.

Mallow, Co Cork

€265,000

Size

88 sq m (947 sq ft)

Bedrooms

3

Bathrooms

1

BER

G

For a guide of €265,000 this three bed bungalow at Bearforest Upper near Mallow offers country living with a large garden and views of Knockaroura Hill.

On the market with Savills, it is a 1970s built property on a site of 0.4 acres. Auctioneer Karl O’Reilly says it is well maintained and that the site offers scope for extension.

It has 88 sq m of living space with a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, as well as three bedrooms and a bathroom.

VERDICT: A rural property with countryside views, large gardens and quite a memorable address.

Cobh, Co Cork

€330,000

Size

102 sq m

Bedrooms

3

Bathrooms

3

BER

A1

A smart, modern three-bed semi with an A1 BER and a guide of €330,000, No 3 Martello Mews, Rushbrooke in Cobh won't have any difficulty attracting a buyer.

"It's just two years old, is highly energy efficient and in superb condition, we are expecting to see a lot of young couples from Cork City at viewings," says auctioneer Johanna Murphy, noting that Cobh is just a 22 minute train journey from the city.

Built in 2021, the house has 102sq metres of living space and has been fitted with triple glazing, solar panels, and gas central heating. The owners have put in plantation shutters on the windows at the front and roller blinds at the rear.

Accommodation includes a modern living room with a large shuttered window and an insert electric fire, as well as a kitchen/diner with grey units, a breakfast counter, herring bone flooring, and double patio doors.

There's also a downstairs guest WC, while the first floor has a bathroom and three carpeted bedrooms including a small one being used as an office. The house has a paved parking area at the front and a lawned garden with a patio at the rear. New owners will perhaps take the opportunity to plant flowerbeds and add some colour.

Situated in a cul de sac overlooking a green area, the property is a little less than 2km from Cobh train station and a little over 2km from the town centre.

The first of nine houses in Martello Mew to be resold, it was bought as a new build in September 2021 for €270,000.

VERDICT: It should make some first-time buyer very happy.

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