A nicely landscaped rear and a good interior are a tasty combo at €530k Glanmire home

PROPERTY experts will tell you that buyers are often prepared to pay a premium for a home with an attractive outdoor space. Aside from the visual appeal, it offers an enjoyable outdoor living experience.

Three years after buying their Murnane & O’Shea home in Crawford Woods, Church Hill, Glanmire, the owners of No 18 hired Martin Murphy, a Passage West-based stone mason, to transform their west-facing back garden. The result is an attractively-designed, easy-to-maintain, handsomely-paved, split-level courtyard, with a choice of sitting-out areas.

 Touches of greenery were added too, in pots, and along the back wall, where there’s a raised bed.

The work was done in 2010 and the current owners, who’ve been at semi-detached No 18 from the get-go, had a good innings from it. 

They are trading up now and their smartly-presented, B3-rated home is on the market with Paul Fenton of Sherry FitzGerald who has set a guide price of €530,000. (No 20 sold recently for €518,000, according to the Price Register).

“It’s a beautifully-presented, four-bed home, turnkey, with quality, contemporary finishes, and good balance between living and bedroom accommodation,” the agent says.

Kitchen/dining is open plan, with access to the rear patio/courtyard, and there’s a separate living room to the front of the house. 

The main bedroom comes with en suite, and there’s a separate family bathroom upstairs and a downstairs guest loo.

Mr Fenton says Crawford Woods, where homes were designed by Cork architects Deady Gahan who incorporated natural stone in the facades, is close to primary and secondary schools, while there’s a creche in the park itself. The scheme is convenient to the Dunkettle Interchange and Cork city centre is about a 10 minute drive away

VERDICT: Likely to attract well-funded first time buyers. Low maintenance aspect may also appeal to downsizers.