Not just the birthplace of talent, with two actors from the premier county nominated for a Bafta last week – Kerry Condon for her performance in The Banshees of Inisherin and Daryl McCormack for his role in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande – Tipperary also has a lot to offer in the way of property.
Asked for his perspective on the residential market in the county Marc Ryan, an agent for P F Quirke & Co, says three-bed semis are still “the bread and butter”.
“There’s always a demand for bungalows from people who may have had bigger country homes,” he says, “for people whose kids have grown up and are looking for a single-level home as they get older.”
“There are younger buyers out there,” says Ryan, “and I think we’ll see that even more so coming into the summer because new lending rules [allowing first-time buyers to take on mortgages of up to four times their income] will give them a lot more options.”
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“People might think we’re out in the sticks here,” he says, “but we have good broadband in towns for working from home, good services, heritage towns and lots to do.
“You don’t necessarily need to be in the city any more.”
Five-bed
Drumgower, Moycarkey, Thurles
This five-bedroom detached property, extending to 297 sq m (3,197 sq ft), has a lot of potential for someone seeking a spacious countryside home just outside Thurles. The ground floor consists of a large entrance hallway, a livingroom, an open-plan livingroom/kitchen, a diningroom, a playroom (which could be used as an office), a sunroom, a bathroom and a utility room. The rooms are generous in size and offer a lot of scope for a potential design enhancement. A new buyer could potentially swap out the tiles in the kitchen and hallway to create a more contemporary space, for example.
Upstairs, there are five bedrooms, two of which are en suite, and the main bathroom. The principal bedroom is big and looks freshly refurbished, with decorative ceiling beams and a walk-in wardrobe.
The grounds are vast with a large garage that has heating, a toilet and an upstairs space, ideal for a workshop or hangout space. This property, which has a C Ber, is for sale by a public auction taking place on February 9th through Maher Auctioneers, with an advised minimum value of €450,000.
Three-bed
3 The Gables, Ballylooby
This new three-bedroom terraced home is situated in a housing development in Ballylooby, a village just 10 minutes outside Cahir. Judging by the development show house, number 3 The Gables, due to be completed within eight weeks, according to the agent, will be finished to a high standard with all fixtures and fittings – such as wood-effect floors, white wooden kitchen units with marble-look counters, Rational wood grain windows and doors, and a fully-fitted en suite, main bathroom and downstairs WC.
The home has an excellent B Ber rating. The dining area of the open-plan kitchen/diningroom opens on to a decking in the back garden, while the rest of the garden is seeded for grass. This turnkey property, extending to 118 sq m (1,275 sq ft), is on the market through Caplice Auctioneers, seeking €245,000.
Downsizer
38 Cashel Road, Tipperary town
This two-bedroom terraced bungalow, extending to 80 sq m (861 sq ft), is likely to appeal to a buyer looking for a low-maintenance home within walking distance of Tipperary town centre. There is a good-sized livingroom to the front of the house which connects through double doors to an eat-in kitchen with fresh white units. The home has two bedrooms painted in a neutral colour palette with wooden floors. The second bedroom could fit a double bed but is more suited to a single as a section of the back wall protrudes a few inches into the space. A gas central heating system has recently been installed, according to the agent, and the Ber rating is D.
This home comes with great garden space for those who like to spend time outdoors. The house is set well back from the road with a cement path to the cute green front door, flanked by a driveway and a decorative area filled with loose stones. The big back garden is mainly lawn, bordered by brimming flower beds. There is a shed and a patio area at the back of the garden. A new owner may look to swap lawn for a more maintainable surface, depending on how green-fingered they are. As well as being a five-minute walk from the amenities of Tipperary town, it is a short drive from the gorgeous Glen of Aherlow Nature Park which is bordered by the Galtee Mountains. The property is also a 35-minute drive from Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel. Number 38 Cashel Road is on the market through DNG Liam O’Grady, seeking €185,000.
Buy-to-let
4 Gracefield, Crann Ard, Clonmel
This three-bedroom midterrace property comes to the market fully furnished and in turnkey condition, leaving little work for an investor to do. The livingroom on the ground floor has light wood-effect floors and a white solid fuel stove; the kitchen/diningroom also has fresh interiors with sage walls and white kitchen units.
French doors from the dining area open up to a patio area in the garden, while the rest of the garden is lawn. An understairs WC completes the layout downstairs. There are two double bedrooms, one of which is en suite, a single bedroom and a bathroom upstairs.
Clonmel is a bustling town with plenty of restaurants, pubs, shops and things to do. Number 4 Gracefield, extending to 90 sq m (969 sq ft), has a C Ber rating and is on the market through P F Quirke & Co, seeking €190,000.
Holiday home
Apt 36 Ballina Quay, Ballina
This two-bedroom ground-floor apartment in Ballina would make a lovely holiday home on the banks of Lough Derg. The picturesque twin towns of Ballina and Killaloe are just 30 minutes from Limerick city, have several pubs, cafes and restaurants and offer a wealth of water sports on your doorstep.
This property, extending to 73 sq m (786 sq ft), is in excellent turnkey condition with three bedrooms, two of which are en suite, a bathroom, an open-plan living/kitchen dining area and an easy-to-maintain landscaped back garden with a shed. Apartment 36 Ballina Quay has a C Ber and is on the market through Harry Brann Auctioneers & Valuers, seeking €189,500.
Fixer-upper
Hillview, Ballybrack, Annacarty
This countryside cottage, extending to 110 sq m (1,184 sq ft), may be an interesting proposition for an imaginative buyer. The highlight of this lot is that it comes with an acre of grounds, providing space for an extension, subject to planning permission. The property as has three bedrooms and some rooms will require more work than others to get them up to standard.
It has infrastructure for electricity and water, which will need to be reconnected. There is also a large garage which could be used as a workshop or possibly converted. This home is a short drive from the villages of Annacarty and Dundrum, and 20 minutes from Tipperary town. Hillview is on the market through Sherry FitzGerald O’Dwyer & Davern, seeking €110,000.
