Buying in Cork City (and surrounds)

D

dino

Registered User
Messages
157
Hi,
I moved to Cork a few months ago and I've been looking at buying a house in the Douglas area. There seems to be a big difference in the standard and price of the houses in the area. I'm interested in a 3 bed townhouse or semi but anything decent seems to be very expensive and anything under €350K seems to be rubbish.
I'm thinking of changing my focus towards Carrigaline because the houses seem to be more keenly priced and in better order. I've seen a few advertised in Dun Eoin and Herons Wood that look very well decorated and all around the €300K mark. There are also a few decent looking 3 bed semi's in Waterpark. I'm single, I don't have kids and I probably won't stay there longer than 4 or 5 years. I work along the South Link Road and i'm used to Dublin traffic so I don't mind that aspect.
Does anyone have any experience of this area? Any estates to stay away from? I think the Cork side of Carrigaline might be a good alternative to Douglas.
Any advice greatly appreciated.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Carrigiline has the biggest usage of cars to get to work in Ireland...so be warned. Its not the worst place in the world, but there are some very rough parts of it. Usual issues, nowheer for kids to go. The only alternative is probably to buy in Mount Oval or Maryborough Woods as you could buy a new house and avoid stamp duty, but as yiou say yourself, you pay the premium for it,
 
Re: Buying in Cork

There are new houses in Maryborough Woods being built at the moment think only 28 in total in what is one of the last phases.From Carrigaline Rd entrance third left as you go up the hill.
Also there are new ones being built across the rd from Broadale
O Driscoll auctioneers are selling both them

D
 
Re: Buying in Cork

I live in carrigaline, there 3 years and love it. in our twenties and find it very nice to live, good mix of different nationalities and still has that local parish feel (legend99: don't know any place very rough in carrigaline, its not that big!!! the same could be said for any town, also you must not have done much research on the area or have not been there in a while)..everything is there you need, pubs, restaurants, shops, play ground/ GAA/ Rugby/gym/pool, there is also plans for a new town center and dunnes are moving in next year.... close to city cetre/mahom point/douglas/kinsale/crosshaven ...I'm not from cork and did a lot of research before buying..would not buy in douglas, think its rough in general and all over the place. Prices are also way OTT. Our house price has gone up by 50% in carrigaline. Waterpark is an old estate..okish, Dun Eoin is good. Herons wood (cork road) and Westwood (ballea Road) are good estates and quite new. Westwood is quite small, approx 100 houses, where as herons wood has around 1000 houses there, but still very well done and very well landscaped. 3 bed semi's going for around 310K. Mount Oval is also very expensive and alot of the houses were bought by the council to house families..which you don't want if you plan to resell...marybourough woods is like a carpark in the morning, completely backed up.. you should call down to carrigaline and walk around some saturday..check out the local estate agents, also carrigaline has a website http://www.carrigaline.ie/. if you want any more info on any estate drop me a line.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

I'd second JohhnyG's post - would not go near any of the estates on the Carrigaline side of Douglas. Maryborough Hill is backed up from the fingerpost roundabout to up past these estates every morning. Know this because I'm sitting behind them on the bus waiting patiently...;-) Ridiculous planning and no infrastructure.

I live past Carrigaline and it's a grand town. Bus service is good - the GAA club is great by all accounts - they seem to win everything going. And it has everything you need (except an Indian restaurant!)

If I was going to live there and planning to get to the South Link Road, I'd live on Ballea Road past the hotel rather than Herons' Wood - you can cut up the back way and come out at Carrs Hill which would cut a bit off your journey.

Good luck with your decision!
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Johnnyg,
You honestly have not a clue about Douglas do you?
To be fair Douglas is the probably the best area in Cork to live in at present.
Ive heard similar thoughts about Douglas before and its always from people that cant afford to live there so decide to slag it off.
Ask the local Guards what they think about the town of Carrigaline?
As for Maryborough Woods being like a carpark in the morning for your info I have lived there for over 3 years and yet to see a traffic jam in this estate.So get your facts right before you decide to shoot your mouth off

D
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Johnny,
Mount Oval is the most expensize large estate to live in in the Cork area. Obviously that excludes estates that have been built with a hand full of houses. In terms of estates with a big number of houses the top three that command top dollar are maryborough Woods, Mount Oval and Jacobs Island.
Mount Oval-council houses? Are you mad man. Thats completely untrue. The council would not pick on the most expensive estates in the city to buy houses as it costs too much money. I know of no council houses in Mount Oval. I stand open to correction but I'd be interested to hear specifics as to a vague notion of it.

Second, yes I know Carrigiline very well, I'm from Cork and my parents have a holiday home nearby which I use a lot so considering that you are not from Cork I might advise you to please not knock people who know these areas for 30 years and more.
Carrigiline is not a great place, it never has been. I'm well aware of the new town centre plans for the area, I went and viewed them. And getting a Dunnes isn't exactly something to cause joyous celebration.

Your final point about traffic quite honestly makes no sense. If you are heading from town from carrigiline by definition you are behind the traffic from Douglas as you have to join the road behind them. Therefore no matter what, you are better off in traffic terms to be in Douglas. How anyone could see it as an advantage to be coming up Carrs Hill in the morning is mind boggling.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Diddles said:
Johnnyg,
You honestly have not a clue about Douglas do you?
To be fair Douglas is the probably the best area in Cork to live in at present.
Ive heard similar thoughts about Douglas before and its always from people that cant afford to live there so decide to slag it off.
D
Click to expand...

Surely this depends very much on what you are looking for. Douglas is OK for some people, 'the best area' for some, and totally usuitable for others. Personally, I made the decision not to live there; I genuinely think it's over-rated. And FWIW, I can afford a house in Douglas - in fact I can afford several of them so please keep your generalisations to yourself :D

To the original poster: As you are single, no kids and only plan to stay in the house 4-5 years, I'd say the decision is one of cost. Traffic is definitely a problem, but as you are in Cork already you can do the run a couple of mornings and see how you find it. What about access to social life? If you are going to be going into the city centre in the evenings, then Carrigaline is a little far. Plenty of social activity in Douglas and town is not too far. Carrigaline is OK - a bit of a boring satelite town by definition, but pleasant enough. Douglas is pricier and it is up to you to decide whether the premium is worth paying. Personally I don't like suburbia (I am a city centre kid) but city centre prices have rocketed in Cork.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

if you're willing to buy second hand, Turners Cross can be an excellent area for single person. Lots of small terraced houses so the prices are not insane, 10-15 mins walk to town depending on what part you are going to, 2 buses go to the city centre if its wet, very close to the South Ring road.
You'd have the one or two rough neighbours there to be quite frank, but like any old areas of decent corpo houses from years ago, a lot of the area has been taken over by newer younger people with enough cash to buy a house.
If I were single in Cork, its an area I'd very much consider.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

legend99 said:
if you're willing to buy second hand, Turners Cross can be an excellent area for single person. Lots of small terraced houses so the prices are not insane, 10-15 mins walk to town depending on what part you are going to, 2 buses go to the city centre if its wet, very close to the South Ring road.
You'd have the one or two rough neighbours there to be quite frank, but like any old areas of decent corpo houses from years ago, a lot of the area has been taken over by newer younger people with enough cash to buy a house.
If I were single in Cork, its an area I'd very much consider.
Click to expand...

And you'd be living in the home of the Irish soccer champions and probably the Irish club football champions!
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Good gym ye got there in nemo joe nonety!

D
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Diddles/legend99: Just because i'm not from cork, doesn't entitle me to an opinion. I've lived in cork for over 10 years and i think its often the people who are not from cork you should ask about where to buy/live as there opinion is unbiased, and might get a truthful answer about any area. I have friends who live in douglas and can't wait to leave the area..there houses have been broken into on several occasions

As regards mountoval, I know for definite that there are houses owned there by the council (and in many other estates aswell) I had a deposit on a detached house there last year, currently selling for 575K(so its not if i can't afford douglas/rochestown). When your spending that amount of money on a house its nice to know what neighbours you might have, and we got quite a surprise. Mount Oval is still owned by the developers and is "private", thus the council have to hire vans/buses to transport people into this estate "under cover". Once the estate is finished you'll see the vans. also this estate has only become expensive in the last 3 years..as its the only place close to cork city, apart from maryborough woods where house's can still be bought in a "good location". Just because there expensive doesn't mean anything...it all comes down to location.

Dino: If a person is interested in an area, as i said go and spend some time there..talk to estate agents in the area, ask work collegues there opinion, (bearing in mind the biased responses), travel the route to work. have dinner/ drinks in the area. Where someone lives is a matter of personel choice and no matter what people say, if you like an area, you'll probally buy there. We have bought our second home in carrigaline and plan to make this town our home as we like the area...but again thats my opinion of carrigaline, and i have been living in the town for over 3 years.

Dino: Best of luck in your decision..
 
Re: Buying in Cork

I have friends who live in douglas and can't wait to leave the area..there houses have been broken into on several occasions

PM this area and I will check on the system here

D
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Bought in Donnybrook, Douglas recently DH works northside and i am in ringaskiddy and in all honesty I dunno how folks can say Douglas is rough?, busy yes - traffic is definately an issue- weekends for the shopping and mornings but i never have a problem going the back road to c'line so maybe that is one area to consider. c'line is busy and notorious for bad traffic - maybe this has changed and locals wax lyrical about the bad old days???
 
Re: Buying in Cork

i remember a CSO report based on the last census and carrigiline had the highest usage of cars in Ireland.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Just re the traffic I was driving up Maryborough Hill last night at 6pm and crossed the bridge over Carrs Hill and both lanes heading to Carrigaline were at a standstill back beyond the turnoff to Mount Oval. I know we're spoiled in Cork compared to Dublin re traffic etc but that would do my head in after a days work to have to face that. I'm living in Douglas 10 years and I know of only one break in in the immediate area. Friend was broken into in blackrock a few years ago and the detectives said at the time that most petty burgularies were at 4 - 5 pm when it is starting to get dark and people are generally not home and also on a bus route so maybe the infrequent buses in the area have some advantage !!!!
 
Re: Buying in Cork

legend99 said:
i remember a CSO report based on the last census and carrigiline had the highest usage of cars in Ireland.
Click to expand...

What has this to do with living in carrigaline...the traffic doesn't bother me or my wife. It depends what time you go to work and what time you finish..also the area where you work.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

Recently put a deposit for a house in Castlerock in Midelton. Looked at all the developments in Rochestown / Douglas area and in my opinion they are all over priced and offer no value for money.
Castlerock - 1900sq ft 4 bed detached for €480k.
1700sq ft in Mount Oval similar stlye €700k! Almost 50% more (excluding Stamp Duty) to live in a smaller house with inferior spec. Mount Oval does not offer value for money - way over rated in my opinion.
 
Re: Buying in Cork

yes but how long did it take you (sheedy) to get to work via the mad tunnell? and shopping at Mahon point this christmas? - from Midleton you are as well off heading into town and out the boreeamanna / skehard road than queueing from the Tunnel!!
But yes you are right about the price difference - i always wonder who pays premium to live in Noddyland (Mt. Oval) althought the steakhouse up there is yum!!
 
Re: Buying in Cork

johnnyg said:
What has this to do with living in carrigaline...the traffic doesn't bother me or my wife. It depends what time you go to work and what time you finish..also the area where you work.
Click to expand...

Are you insane. This has everything in the world to do with living there if you ever intend working more than half a mile from your home because you will have to use your car as well....i just don't get your point, you 100% can't dismiss that fact.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top