Beside the seaside in Sandycove semi for €1.295m

With the sea close enough to nip down for dip and the shops a short stroll away in Glasthule, it is the location of 6 Ballygihen Avenue, a three-bed semi in Sandycove, that helps account for the €1.295m price tag.

The owners bought 20 years ago when the 1930s property had just been extended out into the back garden and up into the attic (the room up here is a double bedroom with smart en suite), leaving them little to do when they moved in.

They did change things in 2006 – oak parquet flooring replaced the pine floorboards in the hall and extension, the family bathroom with its free-standing roll-top bath was redecorated as was the shower room in the rear return and the downstairs guest toilet.

Downstairs the only room with its original footprint is the front reception room with its feature fireplace and bay window. To the rear, the extended accommodation is now open plan, the dining space opening into a spacious family seating area with high ceilings, tall glazed doors to the garden and a smart contemporary kitchen. Clever storage includes a vast cupboard that houses the washer and dryer. A stainless steel La Cornue range cooker – on the wish list of every serious home cook – is staying.

New owners could extend further to the side of the house – there is space – but already the property, which is selling through Sherry FitzGerald, has 156sq m (1,679sq ft), not counting that bright room with en suite in the attic.

Upstairs there are sea views from the bay window in the main bedroom to the front. When the owners moved in there were bungalows across the road, now there is a new swanky development of four modern houses. Despite being large and three-storey, the location is such a draw that at least one of these new houses has been snapped up by a downsizer moving within the area. That might also be a key market for 6 Ballygihen Avenue, not least because its small west-facing rear garden will be more appealing to downsizers looking for a low-maintenance spot than a growing family wanting a place for football. There is off-street parking to the front for three cars – a boon on this road.