The sea air hits you as you step off the Dart at Sydney Parade, a short walk from the top-floor three-bedroom apartment at number 47 Merrion Village. The apartment complex itself sits on the Merrion Road beside Our Lady Queen of Peace church and immediately opposite St Vincent’s Hospital. The Merrion shopping centre, which is anchored by Tesco, is just across the road, while the well-known Merrion Inn pub and Bianconi’s restaurant are both within a short stroll. A 10-minute walk in the direction of the landmark Poolbeg chimneys will bring you to Sandymount strand.
Number 47 is tucked around the corner from the entrance of this complex, which has an on-site caretaker and feels very private. The apartment is on the fourth floor which can be reached by a lift, although it is currently out of order. If you were to take the stairs the wallpaper and carpet from the second floor up betray the age of the property which, selling agent Owen Reilly says, was built in the 1980s. Inside the apartment itself the living area and kitchen are on the left, while the bathroom and three bedrooms are on the right.
The property is an executor’s sale, and its owners lived there for 10 years having downsized from their original family home. One of them was an avid reader and this is evidenced still by the presence of the book collection on the large, built-in shelving unit covering one wall in the lounge. Although the position of the apartment doesn’t allow for sea views the floor-to-ceiling windows and terrace off the living area look out to the neighbouring church and beyond. There is a second terrace off this room which is south-facing and gets more sun. This open-plan living space also offers plenty of room for a large dining table and a seating area separate from the main lounge.
To the right, off the living space, is a narrow galley-style kitchen. Natural light from the glass door to the second terrace doesn’t quite reach the kitchen but the units themselves are well maintained and the appliances are included. A new owner may look to update the kitchen units, the lighting, and the floor, which is covered in linoleum.
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The main bedroom gets plenty of light from French doors, which lead out on to the adjacent third terrace. Generous custom-built mirrored wardrobes make clever use of the slanted wall here. The en suite is comparable in size to a traditional family bathroom and accommodates a shower and a bath comfortably; however, like the shower room in the hallway, it could do with a design refresh. The other two bedrooms are decent-sized singles with built-in wardrobes, and either one of these would work well as a home office.
The apartment has a generous walk-in storage closet. Unlike the majority of the apartments being built today it also comes with its own lock-up providing parking for one car and ample ancillary storage. The property’s B3 Ber rating is another notable plus for a potential buyer looking to keep costs down.
This home, extending to 105sq m (1,130sq ft), is likely to appeal to those downsizing from a larger home in the Dublin 4 area, or those looking to trade up from a smaller apartment. It may also be attractive to an investor, and the agent estimates it could generate about €4,000 per calendar month in rent.
And while the Dart and other commuter trains pass just behind the complex, noise shouldn’t be too much of a problem given the apartment’s position towards the Merrion Road side of the building. The Merrion Village scheme offers peaceful seaside living in close proximity to the village of Ballsbridge and to Dublin’s south city centre, which is just four stops away on the Dart. Number 47 is for sale through Owen Reilly seeking €650,000.
