High above the station at Seapoint is one of the more interesting looking terraces along the DART line. Located off Seapoint Avenue, the small group of four houses have elegant looking two-storey bow windows, tall pitched gable roofs and a period style that is very different from the other more conventional Victorian terraces along the line.
Tobernea Terrace was built at the beginning of the 19th century by a French architect whose romantic stamp is found everywhere in the houses from the elaborate fleur de lys cornice work to the dainty bow windows. Number 1, which is now for sale by private treaty through Sherry FitzGerald for £875,000 (€1.1m), has yet another whimsical detail - its second-floor oriel window perched on the side of the house.
Bernie Walsh bought the house in 1999 and although it was divided into bedsits, as an owner of Irish Building Magazine and a small-scale property developer she knew what she was doing.
She's also clear on the reasons why she is putting her home of two years on the market right now. "Things are going to get worse before they get better," she says. "Before September 11th it was difficult to figure out if the property slowdown was a much needed correction or the start of a recession," she says. "Since September 11th everything's changed and you have to add confidence or rather lack of confidence into the supply and demand equation."
She thinks that the property market, like so many other markets is still in an "unreal" phase and that a clearer picture won't emerge until next spring.
She bought the house with the intention of bringing it back to its former glory and eventually selling it. Aside from the nuts and bolts work of doing away with the six bedsits, the cornice work had been very damaged and the fireplaces had been removed so there was need for extensive repair.
Now the yellow-painted house is a cosy family home which is some achievement for such a large period property. The total floor area is around 2,900 sq ft.
The formal reception rooms are truly elegant. The diningroom is to the front of the house and has the ground floor bow window. The livingroom runs the width of the second floor and is a very gracious space. Both rooms have superb uninterrupted sea views.
The more informal rooms are at the back of the house, slighly lower than hall level. There is a family room with a large granite fireplace, and a galley kitchen.
Upstairs there are four double bedrooms on two levels. Two of the bedrooms have full en suite bathrooms. The main bedroom has steps leading to its bathroom.
The landings are spacious, particularly the one with the oriel window and the staircase has its original solid timber bannisters and acorn shaped finials.
The back garden has been landscaped and has automatic gates opening from Seapoint Avenue. There is communal parking.
Fully renovated, with a sophisticated heating system, and a pleasant period-style decor, the house is in walk-in condition. This will be its strong selling point with house hunters who do not wish to embark on a long and expensive renovation.
The £875,000 (€1.1m) price tag compares well with other seafront properties currently on the market. Nearby, Finnegan Menton is seeking £1.4 million (€1.77m) for a terraced house on Idrone Terrace, while in Monkstown a larger house on Trafalgar Terrace has an asking price of £1.35 million (€1.7m).
"It's not all doom and gloom out there" says Bernie Walsh. "People still get on with their lives and buying and selling houses is part of that, but in a buyer's market, pricing a house correctly is the most important thing."
