Starter Homes: Four Cork properties on the market starting at €249k

The €340,000 guide price on No 23 Blackrock House is a bit higher than you would pay for an average one-bed apartment — but then, the property, situated on the first floor of an elegant 18th-century building in Blackrock village, is far from average.

Part of a development of 27 upmarket apartments in the former Ursuline Convent, it has high ceilings, tall windows and more than a touch of period grandeur. Auctioneer Jeremy Murphy says it’s well-maintained, well-appointed, and very well-located. 

Offering 71 sq m of living space, it’s in a gated complex that has landscaped communal gardens and is situated within a few minutes’ walk from Blackrock pier and marina. The apartment overlooks the long lawned gardens of Blackrock House through four tall front windows. Two of these windows belong to a living room, one to a bedroom and another to a kitchenette with modern units and marble countertops.

Off the hallway at the rear of the apartment, there’s also a modern tiled bathroom as well as a small utility space. The property can be accessed through the main stepped entrance or through a ground-floor side entrance with access to a lift.

“The apartment has been owner occupied and is likely going to appeal to another owner occupier,” says Mr Murphy, noting the development has beautiful communal gardens and offers easy access to local cafes and amenities.

VERDICT: An upmarket apartment in a popular neighbourhood.

Looking good for a first-time buyer purchase, No 11 An Traonach in Cloyne is a modern four-bed semi-d with a guide price of €275,000.

Ed O’Donovan of Sherry Fitzgerald O’Donovan says the 2003-built house has good space, has recently been redecorated, and is owner-occupied and in very good decorative order.

Downstairs there’s a living room, a kitchen/diner with modern units as well as a guest WC and a small utility. Upstairs there’s a bathroom and four bedrooms, including one en suite. Located close to shops in the village, it’s around 10km from Midleton and Ballycotton.

VERDICT: Affordable and has a fourth bedroom which could be turned into an office.

With Coulagh Bay and the Atlantic out in front, the mountains of Beara in the background and multi-coloured cottages nearby in the village, No 5 Ard Cuan in Eyries would be an idyllic place to spend retirement.

Since buying the then-newly built three-bed mid-terrace house for exactly this purpose in 2017, its owner has decorated it beautifully and added a Steeltech shed as a home office/art studio.

Quoting a guide of €249,000, Olivia Hanafin of Sherry Fitzgerald O’Neill says the A3-rated house has been finished to a high standard and has impressive views.

“It overlooks Coulagh Bay and the entrance to Kenmare Bay, “ she says, noting that Eyeries is colourful, scenic and popular with holidaymakers and hillwalkers.

At the front of the 93 sq m house, there’s a tiled sitting room with a stove and bookshelves, and beyond it, a kitchen diner with shaker-style units, patterned splashback tiles and colourful blue and green roman blinds. There’s also a small utility room and a guest WC.

The upper floor has a bathroom and three bedrooms including one with an en suite and one used as a home office.

On-street at the front, the property has a paved garden at the rear with a Steeltech shed and well-tended flower beds.

Situated mid-row in a terrace of three, the house is close to shops and cafes in the village and is 8km from Castletownbere and 16km from Allihies at the tip of the peninsula.

VERDICT: Retirees could fall in love with it, as could holiday home buyers and relocating ones.

An affordable guide of €250,000 should guarantee a lot of interest for this two-bed mid-terrace house at 87 Plunkett Road in Ballyphehane.

It’s new to the market with Sean McCarthy of ERA Downey McCarthy who says it’s a well-kept 1960s-built property located near UCC, Wilton, and the Lough.

There’s 75 sq m of living space which includes a living room, a family room, a guest WC and a kitchen/diner as well as a bathroom and two bedrooms upstairs.

VERDICT: An affordable buy for a young couple.