What do you get for your money in country’s dearest and cheapest areas?

According to the latest wealth report from Daft.ie the most expensive area in the State in which to buy property is Sandycove in south County Dublin, where the average valuation is almost €790,000. House hunters with their eye on this seaside spot located between Dun Laoghaire and Dalkey will take this valuation with a pinch of salt. Most of the homes in this area tend to be priced closer to a million and more.

Of the 21 homes currently listed for sale in Sandycove on myhome.ie only five are priced below €790,000. Two are apartments and one is a small terraced house in a retirement complex. The remaining two homes are claimed as Sandycove by the agents, but are located some distance in from the sea and on roads unidentified as Glenageary in Thoms directory, a trusted source of Dublin street names and addresses.

None of the five is representative of the Victorian villa homes that characterise the area though a couple do come with sea views.

The cheapest home listed in Sandycove is a two-bedroom apartment in Albert Court, a small development tucked away off Sandycove Road, with an asking price of €299,950 through Churches Estate Agents. It’s a gated development with parking and a small lock up unit that could take a couple of bicycles. The service charge is €1,900 a year.

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The unit is located at the back of the scheme, facing the main road. It has 52 sq m of living space and is in good decorative order. The front-facing bedrooms have what an agent might call “sea glimpses” but in any case the sea is a two-minute stroll away while Glasthule and Dalkey villages are with easy reach. There’s a branch of the popular Butler’s Pantry food shop next door.

Across the road, a two-bedroom terraced house in a development built for the over 55s is available at €345,000 through Sherry FitzGerald. The gated scheme, called Ballygihen, is nicely landscaped and has surface parking. Number 19 has 77 sq m of living space including a good sized livingroom with an open fireplace and access to a patio that overlooks the communal gardens.

Yet another apartment, this time on the seafront with glorious views is listed on myhome.ie at €595,000 through Hassett Fitzsimons, however its own website says it is sale agreed. Seabank Court is a landmark 1970s development and what it lacks in visual appeal from the outside is made up for by the views in each apartment. Number 6 is a second floor unit with 90 sq m of living space and a small balcony.

Those looking for something with a bit more charm in the area will have to have deeper pockets. Just off the seafront at Scotsmans Bay, a Victorian villa on Islington Avenue, Dún Laoghaire is for sale through Lisney at €985,000. It’s in a good location between the Sandycove/Glasthule Dart station and the seafront with the popular Fish Shack restaurant at the sea-end of the avenue. It’s 120 sq m includes three bedrooms and an large kitchen opening into a conservatory.

Cheapest area

The Daft report lists Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, as the cheapest area in the State, with an average property value of €58,000. However, as with Sandycove, there’s not a lot on offer at or below this price, with most of the property for sale at €70,000-plus . Of the 67 homes listed for sale in the town on Daft, just 16 are listed below €58,000. These include a traditional two-storey house on three-quarters of an acre in the townland of Tondragee, outside Ballaghaderreen. The property, which is listed at €50,000 includes an old cut stone grain store with exterior steps. It’s for sale through John Flannery Auctioneers.

On the town’s Pound Street, an end-of-terrace house is available at €49,000. It’s a substantial corner site where some renovations have been carried out in recent years but new owners will most likely start over.

Meanwhile, a four-bedroom semi-detached house in a small estate on the Sligo Road has a price tag of €37,500. Number 6 Abbeyfield is a two-storey home with an integrated garage and needs total refurbishment. It’s for sale through REA Seamus Carthy.