Benefiting from the world-renowned landscape of Ireland’s west coast, Co Clare sits proud between Limerick and Galway, providing easy access to both counties and their city centres. Most well-known for its seaside destinations, including Kilkee and Lahinch, it is also home to Shannon Airport, making it a great base for travel enthusiasts and multinational companies alike; Zimmer, Element Six, GE Sensing, Intel and Lufthansa Technik Turbine Shannon are all located in the town.
The county town of Ennis is also a bustling hub, as well as Kilrush in the south of the county.
Lower supply in the residential market means buyers are somewhat less discerning than they once were, explains David Considine of Pat Considine Auctioneers, with younger couples in particular being more open to live in secluded areas where they can have more space for their money, he says; this, no doubt, reflects the shift toward working from home in a number of sectors.
Any property that comes on the market at a “reasonable price”, he says, gets plenty of interest, even homes that need some renovation, while three- and four-bed semis in towns and villages remain popular.
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There is also an interest among people close to retirement to move to manageable dwellings within walking distance of town centres, says Considine.
“Prices are generally more attractive in Clare,” he adds, saying the €300,000-€350,000 a buyer could spend on a home in Dublin’s commuter belt would go a long way in the Banner County. It’s also a great place to live for those who love the sea, with a beach never far away no matter where you settle in the county.
Five-bed
1 Fort Lawn, Cappagh
This five-bedroom, four-bathroom detached property is in a great location, just a kilometre in separate directions from Cappagh Pier and Kilrush town. Cappagh is lovely area, offering views of the Shannon estuary, while Kilrush is a heritage town with plenty of amenities including pubs, restaurants, sports clubs and schools.
This property, extending to 195sq m (2,100sq ft), is in turnkey condition with a C1 Ber. The front hallway has a gorgeous black and white checkerboard tiled floor, leading into the large livingroom which has a decorative marble fireplace. There is also an en suite double bedroom on the ground floor. The kitchen-diner is to the back of the house with fresh white wooden units and breakfast counter. There are three double bedrooms upstairs, two of which are en suite, as well as a family bathroom and a single bedroom. There are good-sized gardens to the front a back of the property, mainly laid in lawn. This property is now on the market through Pat Considine Auctioneers, seeking €450,000.
Three-bed
35 Gleann Cora, Newmarket on Fergus
This three-bedroom semidetached property is new to the market in Newmarket on Fergus. The town offers all necessary amenities as well as convenient access to Shannon, Ennis, Galway and Limerick via the M18 motorway.
Measuring 98sq m (1,055sq ft) with a C Ber, the ground floor of this home has a large livingroom with a light wooden floor to the front, leading into the kitchen-diner; the kitchen units could do with a refresh for a more contemporary feel. There is also a shower room downstairs.
Upstairs are three double bedrooms – the main is en suite – as well as a family bathroom. There is a driveway for two cars to the front of the property and the back garden is easy to maintain, laid mainly with loose stones with two pockets of lawn. This property is on the market through DNG O’Sullivan Hurley, seeking €229,000.
Downsizer
21 Cluain Aoibheann, Shannon
It is difficult to find a two-bed bungalow downsizer option in Co Clare at the moment, but this two-story mid-terrace townhouse in Shannon may fit the bill for those who don’t mind stairs. It has been finished to an immaculate standard with a clean white, contemporary interior throughout.
The front livingroom has space-saving built-in shelving on either side of the chimney breast, and opens up into the bright kitchen-diner through double doors. This room has French doors out to the back garden patio area; the rest of the garden is laid in lawn that you could swap out for loose stones which would require no maintenance.
The main bedroom upstairs is a good size with mirrored built-in wardrobes. The second bedroom is a smaller double and the main bathroom is in good condition. This property, extending to 68sq m (730sq ft), has a C2 Ber and is on the market through Sherry FitzGerald O’Donovan, seeking €190,000.
Buy-to-let
82 Ard Caoin, Gort Road, Ennis
This two-bedroom ground-floor apartment is likely to appeal to an investor looking for an Ennis property as it has a tenant in situ and creates a revenue of €10,200 annually. The property looks fresh although the flooring throughout is dated, as are the kitchen units.
The property, measuring 68sq m (730sq ft) has an open-plan living area, which includes a corner kitchenette, and opens out to a private back garden covered in loose stones. There are also two double bedrooms, one of which is en suite, and a main bathroom.
Ennis town centre is less than a five-minute drive away from Ard Caoin. This C-rated property is on the market through Costelloe Estate Agents, seeking €125,000.
Holiday home
23B Moore Bay, Kilkee
This three-bed, two-bath holiday home, measuring 110m sq m (1,184sq ft), is in the stunning seaside town of Kilkee. Historically popular with visitors from Limerick, it has more recently come to the attention of those all over the country who are drawn to its clifftop walks, beautiful vistas and Blue Flag sandy beach.
With a C Ber rating, this home has an open-plan kitchen-diner in good working order, a good-sized sittingroom, two double bedrooms, one of which is en suite, as well as a single bedroom and a main bathroom. Guiding at a price of €165,000, the property is in the Moore Bay holiday village, just a five-minute walk from the beach.
Fixer-upper
2 St Patrick’s Terrace, Kilrush
This two-bed terraced property, extending to 60sqm (645sq ft), comes to the market in decent condition but needs modernisation throughout. It is on the market through Pat Considine Auctioneers for the attractive sum of €85,000. Some great refurbishments of similar properties have been executed over the past few years and a quick search through our property pages and on MyHome.ie will provide some examples to inspire a prospective buyer.
The property currently consists of a good-sized livingroom to the front of the ground floor with what would have been a kitchen to the rear; a potential buyer could seek planning permission to extend to create a bright kitchen-diner. There is a double and a single bedroom upstairs as well as a bathroom. The Ber is G. St Patrick’s Terrace is well-located on Cooraclare road, with Kilrush town centre within walking distance.
