Good value in country

COUNTRY HOUSES featured strongly on property pages this year, with many coming up for sale year round, rather than in the usual summer season.

Prices fell significantly, back to late 1990s levels in some cases, says Savills’ David Ashmore, which explains why quite a number of them sold. Irish expat buyers and British buyers are back “making enquiries at levels not seen since the mid-1990s”.

Houses sold through Savills included Broomfield House in Moone, Co Kildare, an 18th-century house on 12 acres sold for about €700,000 (down from its original €1.15 million asking price) and Duninga House in Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny – an 18th-century house that came with 14 townhouses – for about €1.25 million. (Initially marketed in 2009 at €1 million, it attracted attention worldwide).

Colliers sold Niall Mellon’s house Coolmore, in Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, for a reported €3.25 million, while Attyymon, a restored 1840s house in Athenry, Co Galway, made in the region of €1 million.

Meanwhile Knight Frank – which has had a very lively 2011, says Celia Lamb – sold Busherstown House in Co Offaly for close to the asking price of €690,000; Bowelk, near Ballybay, Co Monaghan, an early Victorian on 29 acres, sold for about the asking price of €790,000.