With Cheap Irish Homes returning to our screens next week, just what constitutes a cheap Irish home now and what’s available across the country? Here are six options ranging in price from an AMV of €90k to a turnkey, architect-designed abode seeking €195k.
It’s been six years since Cheap Irish Homes made its screen debut and the world is a different place.
When it first aired in April 2020, we were in the first weeks of lockdown, worried about relatives and social distancing.
Estate agents reeled and wondered if it heralded a return to the dark days of the recession.
Instead, there was a boom as properties transacted at prices beyond asking prices, with some being purchased sight unseen.
Prices jumped again. So did construction costs.
Add a war in Ukraine, the Suez Canal supply chain crisis, another war in the Middle East, Trump’s tariffs, and the world is a very different place as Maggie Molloy and co-host architect Tadhg Casey return to our screens next Tuesday, September 1st.
What is the lay of the land?
Instead of using the word cheap, consider value instead, agents suggest.
“The value is in a home where the fundamentals, the structure, electrics and heating are good, and you’re not placing a premium on shiny new kitchens and bathrooms," says estate agent John O’Sullivan, who covers South County Dublin.
"It could be from the 1950s or the 1960s and is let down cosmetically. Something that needs a bit of work will garner a lot less attention and have fewer people through the front door. You have to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.”
I don’t think there is such a thing as a cheap Irish house,” says Co Meath-based agent Ed Carey.
“Most people buy out of necessity. Those that don’t have the money to buy a home in walk-in condition buy a doer-upper. It depends on the circumstances of the buyer.”
If you fall into the latter, you have to be flexible in your locations, he counsels, adding that “very few have the luxury of choosing from a very wide set of locations”.
“Time also influences the perception of value. It depends on what value you put on your own time and what you can afford,” says Brian Dempsey, partner at DNG.
It. “If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so too is value. We’re selling a C BER-rated house that has swirly carpets and tired décor. Many people can’t see past the carpets.”
While property price inflation in Dublin fell to 4.6 per cent, down from 5 per cent in May, according to the latest Residential Property Price Index from the Central Statistics Office, annual price growth outside Dublin was 6.4 per cent.
The data showed the median price paid for a home nationally in the 12 months to June was €396,000, not exactly cheap by anyone’s metric.
But every so often a gem comes to the market. Here are six options ranging in price from an AMV of €90k to a turnkey, architect-designed seeking €195k.
None are in Dublin, and only one of the six options is within the ever-expanding commuter belt counties of Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Louth.
Designer pad in lovely Co Leitrim
Address: Blackhall Cottage, Gortnalougher, Cloone, Co. Leitrim, N41 N7N2
Asking price: €195,000
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald Farrell
Designed by vendor architect Dominic Stephens, this is a two-storey, one-bedroom, one-bathroom, B BER-rated, timber frame cottage set amidst south Leitrim's drumlins.
Echoing the charming proportions of a traditional Irish cottage, this is a beautifully realised tiny house that extends to 66 square metres.
Surrounded by countryside, it is just five clicks to Mohill. The N4 Route and Sligo-Dublin train line in Dromod are both nearby.
Rural idyl in Co Roscommon
Address: Nyrack Cottage, Culkeen, Cloonfad, Cloonfad, Co. Roscommon, F35 XN79
Asking price: €170,000
Agent: Nigel Dineen Auctioneers
With a polytunnel and shed that could be renovated, this two-bedroom, one bathroom bungalow of 102 square metres is a 25-minute drive to Ireland West Airport at Knock.
Set on just under three acres, all in one parcel, the E1 BER-rated residence comes with a polytunnel, many fruit trees and a large shed that could be converted.
It is 5G fibre broadband-enabled and is 13 kilometres from Ballyhaunis, where there is a train link to Westport and Dublin.
Traditional townhouse with huge garden in Co Meath
Agent: Castle Street, Oldcastle, Co. Meath, A82 F8Y7
Asking price: €160,000
Agent: Lydon Farrell Property
Situated in the heritage north Meath town of Oldcastle, this two-bedroom, one-bathroom semi-detached townhouse is double-fronted and opens from the street into a porch and through to a broken-plan living cum dining room.
The kitchen and bathroom are at the back, and the former opens out to a surprisingly large back garden, complete with a sizeable shed that could be used as a garage instead of on-street parking.
Upstairs, there are two double bedrooms.
The house, which has a D2 BER rating, extends to 86 square metres.
Dublin is an 85-kilometre drive, with an off-peak journey time of 75 minutes.
Come back to Paddy Reilly land in Co Cavan
Address: 12 Percy French Park, Ballyjamesduff, Co. Cavan, A82 RD34
AMV: €120,000 auction September 24th via Smithproperty.ie
Agent: Smith Property
This end-terrace three-bed, one bathroom house is eligible for the vacant home grant and has both rear access and a very long back garden.
Extending to 99 square metres with an F BER rating, the property is in need of modernisation.
It has two sitting rooms, a separate kitchen, along with an office that could be used as a playroom on the ground floor.
There are three bedrooms upstairs, two doubles and a single. The property’s only bathroom is downstairs.
Dublin city centre is 94 kilometres away and takes about one hour 25 minutes off-peak.
Follow a different script in Co Wexford
Address: Former Bree Health Centre, Clonroche, Co. Wexford, Y21 CD76
AMV: €100,000 Auction on September 30 through Offr
Agent: Sherry FitzGerald O’Leary Kinsella
The HSE has been selling off its health centre stock across the country and for the hands-on buyer willing to break a sweat to create a home, this concrete-built bungalow, listed as a three-bedroom, one-bathroom property, offers scope to extend in time, subject to the relevant planning permissions.
For now though, its internal walls are block-built and you could, by opening up the place a bit, create a really roomy and light-filled one-bedroom home.
While the property is vacant, commercial rates may apply.
Purchasers should also note that commercial stamp duty is at a rate of 7.5 per cent, rather than the residential 1 per cent rate.
Stone cottage in Co Tipperary thoroughbred country
Address: Ballynonty, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, E41 X8C1
AMV: €90,000 Auction September 24th on BidX1
Agent: BidX1
A stone-fronted end-terrace, double-fronted house on the side of the street in Ballynonty has a good-sized living room, separate eat-in kitchen with a bedroom and bathroom at the back.
Extending to about 58 square metres, with a G BER rating, the house is being sold with vacant possession and is in need of upgrading.
The house has a south-westerly facing back garden and is close to the racing yard of the late Edward O’Grady at Kileens, which was recently commanding an asking price of €3.5 million and has been sale agreed.
Black type names trained here include Tranquil Sea, Sacundai and Golden Cygnet, who won at Aintree, Cheltenham, Punchestown, Galway and The Curragh.
