Buying in Cork City (and surrounds)

Re: Buying in Cork

Its Thomas J O Driscolls as far as I know.
They sold Maryborough Woods as well.Same builder OBrien and O Flynn.
OFlynn Construction are a different company,they built Mount Oval,eastgate,Ballincollig town centre etc.
Interesting price of over 640k, I rang about them 5 months ago and they told me they were going on the market at around 580k.People must want them.

D
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Yep its O'Driscolls, i was not quoted a price when i rang but have yet to receive the brochure. This guy is sitting on them because the ones on the entrance are completed for weeks now - unless I hope they are taking their time to get hte insides right. I lived in a new McInerney build for 3 years in Cork, - slapped up and no attention to inside, so it may well be a good thing if they are doing the insides right. for 600k+ i would be gettin picky...
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Nelly,
I got the brochure for the houses across from broadale a few weeks ago so the agent should be able to forward it to you. I don't remember the prices but I know that the detached are really small with no room to extend Also the four bed semi are actually bigger because they have a third floor. We have also been looking for a detached house for years but because we extended our own house anything in our price range would be half the size it's daft. Good luck with the search and chase the agent because as I say we have the brochure a few weeks.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

they rang us over 9 weeks ago wrt the detached houses...don't know if all gone.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

legend99 said:
I have to dispute this. In Cork construction, an O'Flynns house with all due respect has always been regarded as an excellent build with excellent credentials. They are not the biggest builder in Cork for no reason.
I know that for example all the doors and joinery in the downstairs 4 bed houses were red deal and hence solid doors. I have looked at one or two other brochures where they were still using hollow doors downstairs.

Agreed on the lack of detached houses in Cork.
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I don't understand why they can't finish off upstairs with solid doors. I think it cheapens the house...and a cost saving measure...especially when you are paying 500K plus for a house. The profit they are making, doesn't justify cutting back on things that i would consider standard on "luxury houses" such as solid doors/tresholds/real wood window sill's/wardrobes/tiling. 3-4 years ago these would have been standard. Its like most builders are making houses cheaper to build but still charging rediculous prices on the other hand. It seems that its only the builders in areas that they are finding it hard to sell are offering all these "extra's"
 
Re: Buying in Cork

johnnyg said:
I don't understand why they can't finish off upstairs with solid doors. I think it cheapens the house...and a cost saving measure...especially when you are paying 500K plus for a house. The profit they are making, doesn't justify cutting back on things that i would consider standard on "luxury houses" such as solid doors/tresholds/real wood window sill's/wardrobes/tiling. 3-4 years ago these would have been standard. Its like most builders are making houses cheaper to build but still charging rediculous prices on the other hand. It seems that its only the builders in areas that they are finding it hard to sell are offering all these "extra's"
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Hence Michael O'Flynn is able to build himself a 10,000+ square foot house in Ovens! Also, can't remember the term...Limited Liability perhaps?...but O'Flynns have made this move so they no longer need to report their results.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

i bought in herons wood 3 years ago and lived there until 3 months ago.
I took out a 92% mortgage day one and now I have an LTV of 55 / 45.
i did not sell it yet, going to rent for a while, I had it rented and money lodged in my account within 5 days of placing the ad on line.
Herons wood is a very nice estate and the builder is very good as well.
Traffic is not bad as you do not have to go through the village
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Hi there,

I live in Whitegate. I bought a 1700sq foot detached house in a small estate in August 2003 for €215,000. The house is now worth around €360,000. Im 10 minutes from Midleton which is a fantastic town and property in the area is growing in price exponentially at the moment. There will be a rail link between Midleton and Cork City by 2008. If you are looking for value Id look in East Cork. Im originally from Blackpool in the Northside of Cork City, (I can confirm that Douglas is definately not in the northside) and find the quality of life where I live now is way better. Amenities are fantastic, fishing, lovely walks, shopping etc. There really is no need to go up to the city except to work, which is a 25 minute drive for me to Mahon. The Lee Tunnel is bad at times but no worse than traffic congestion on the Rochestown road at rush hour. Country living may not be for everyone, but I must say all my experiences down here have been positive. The oil refinery and the power station in the village are the only drawback, but I hope to get employment there in the future.

If you have to be in the City, Blackpool is undergoing a total transformation at the moment, there is a cinema and shopping centre etc. Property prices are still relatively cheap and rising rapidly. Also you are only 10 minutes walk from the City Centre. If you can get over the snobbery thing of having to live in a trendy area and paying the premium euro for that address, then this could be a good solution for you.

Hope that helps

Shammy
 
Re: Buying in Cork

The cork side of Carrigaline is spot on. I like Herons Wood and Bridgemount. I'm not so mad about Dun Eoin though houses sell there quickly. A 3 bed semi in Bridgemount went for 79K Euro in the Summer of '97. 2 years agao theyw ere making around 180K.They are now making 300K +. Also the estate is nicely laid out with pleanty of cul de sacs and the vast majority of houses overlooking a green. Some of the gardens are huge in Bridgemount.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Hi,
I originally started this threada few weeks ago. Thanks for all your views on Cork Property. I've been looking around on the internet a lot and I still haven't found much. What I've come up with are;

New Properties:
Blackpool: Heron Gate. Look like very stylish apartments but they are fairly big money at over €320K.
Jacobs Island: 2 bed apartments at similar money. Not mad about location and very close to the South link Road. Noise, etc. Also you can't really walk to anything only Mahon Point.
Carrigaline: No new houses available at the moment but there are some houses being launched in Herons Wood in late Feb/March. This might be a runner alright to avoid stamp duty.
Douglas: New apartments opposite Daly's Centra in the West Village. 2 beds for 340 to 350 and 3 bed townhouses up to 450. Mad money.

Secondhand house:
Douglas: Very little at decent prices. A few older houses but nothing great.
Carrigaline: A few nice looking houses in Dun Eoin around 300 to 315. Nothing in Herons Wood. Need to look around more.

I've come to the conclusion that there's not much available in Cork at the moment. Most estate agents have very few houses. Hopefully more will come on stream in the next few weeks. One auctioneer I spoke to yesterday had one house for sale! He said he was totally cleaned out..
I reckon that the cork side of Carrigaline might be the best option for me. I'll just have to start driving around keeping an eye out for more houses for sale.
Keep the advice coming.
Thanks a mil...

D
 
Re: Buying in Cork

hi,
riverway in douglas is a nice estate,built about 7-10 years ago, saw a house there for 310k, down the road from my sisters place, nice area,

sudden
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Hi

I am thinking of moving to Cork and am currently looking at a house in Broadale. Can anyone tell me what the area is like and what the traffic is like.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

broadale - the houses seem grand!
i looked at one there and really the only gripe i had with the property was the fact that there are no boundry walls between houses & gardens and some looked very scatty and unkept giving the particular part of the estate looking in poor nick - the house itself was grand.

The positive for the area - its address, slightly cheaper than the other nearby estates.
Negative for the area - no bus routes to speak of, and i reckon the traffic has got to get a bit worse due to the new developments.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

nelly said:
broadale - the houses seem grand!
i looked at one there and really the only gripe i had with the property was the fact that there are no boundry walls between houses & gardens and some looked very scatty and unkept giving the particular part of the estate looking in poor nick - the house itself was grand.
quote]

Yea, I hate that. Builders thinking they can save a few quid on the walls. Then people start building crappy ones.

Not good..

BM
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Re: Buying in Cork

What do ye think of the city centre as a place to buy? I looked at places on the south side on Dunbar street and Barrack street, and on the north side on Alexandra road. But I am not from Cork so I really don't have much knowledge of the place.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

dino said:
Secondhand house:
Douglas: Very little at decent prices. A few older houses but nothing great.
Carrigaline: A few nice looking houses in Dun Eoin around 300 to 315. Nothing in Herons Wood. Need to look around more.
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I second the poster who tipped Turners Cross what a great location. Houses sell there so fast though.
Another great Spot is Ballinlough. Nice older houses and close to the city.
For cheaper you might get something out in Ballyphehane.
It depends what your priorities are.
You seem to me more into the idea of a 3 bed semi D in a new development. What about Ballygarven?

Does anyone know what passage west is like these days
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Passage always had a bad rep. IMHO the village itself is a depressing place. Proximity to Cork's most affluent area (Rochestown road) has no effect. Lately is has become a bit of a concrete jungle. I know many people who bought down there. They are all happy enough there but go as far as Douglas for everything - even a pink of milk. It has a bad name for crime and republican activity though.
 
Passage is improving. Pembroke woods has over 500 houses.
O Brien O flynn are currently building opposite the former skoda garage. I had heard that the development willbe high density. 3 bed semi's in Pembroke wood -920 sq feet make about 275-280K. I prefer Bridgmount in Carrigaline to be honest. Worth the extra 20-25K.
 
Does this make sense to you Dino?
You're a young fella.(Proximity to town for nitelife & events etc important)
You're working on southring(Location to avoid sitting unneccessarily in car for 3/4 hr every morning.you say you're used to it but as a former commuter myself it does improve lifestyle if it can be avoided)
You expect to leave cork in 4 to 5 years (& will be reselling?).(Who knows what the future holds,ok its unlikely but in an oversupply situation are the new outer suburbs/commuter estates likely to hold their value as well as locations closer to city?)
You hav'ent mentioned the rent a room scheme but i assume the option of an attractive area to rent a room easily for better money is important for someone taking on a morgage on their own.
I was in a similiar situation 5 years ago.Using above criteria i decided against outer estates and decided south inner city/suburbs as my search location for my needs.Starting west at pouladuff road,glasheen over east to turners cross and north at greenmount/friars walk to south at ballyphehane there are plenty of ex corporation houses(majority now private owned/established families) approx 1000sq ft,3 beds large rear gardens for extensions,front drive gardens for approx €270 to €320 depending on condition/exact location,preferably cul de sac.
The disadvantage is you will not get a "new build" spick & span but at this stage most houses would have had an upgrade by now.
My experience,well i bought in a cul de sac ex corpo and hav'ent looked back for all above reasons.My origional plan was to upgrade after 5 years to a larger house which i can now well afford/makes financial sense for my current financial situation but i just can't pull myself away from the easy lifestyle in this area.If i do move it will only be to upgrade & i'll definately hang onto existing property.
Hope this experience is of use to you if you're profile is similiar to mine.Good luck with the hunt.
 
Thanks for all the great replies. Tanora, I see your point alright. I have a property in a midland town that is similar to what you mention and it has done extremely well for me. It's gone up €100K in 3 years!!! I've been watching the various websites looking at the areas closer to the city. Some look very good but other I'm just not sure of. I like the Lough area and Ballinlough is lovely too but the houses are still very expensive. One common denominator with all the cheaper ex council houses in the south city area is that they all seem to have downstairs toilets.
There are a few very nicely modernised ones for sale but they are pricey enough. The main reason I haven't looked at the city more is that everyone I know in Cork lives & socialises around Douglas or Carrigaline.
I live in Maryborough Woods and it's ideal. It's a very nice area and it seems to appreciate very well also. Does anyone know anything about the new apartments in The Mall in Maryborough Woods? The building doesn't look very good from the outside but they might be nice inside.
 
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