SOMETIMES, you just know when a property has been a rental: no matter how genuine the landlord, and how mindful a tenant might be, there’s pretty much a dispirited air about such properties when they come up for sale.

That point is only highlighted all the more when the exact opposite, an owner-occupied home, comes along: the difference can be as much as chalk and a rather fine sort of cheese.

That latter’s the case in the sale offer at this duplex home, 4 The Avenue, Highfield Park, in Cork’s Ballincollig, which was built in 2008. And now? Well, it’s better than when new.

Its current owners, two interior design-literate sisters, bought it 12 years ago when they moved out of Cork’s city suburbs….and they are selling as the lure of the city is growing and they want to be back closer to family.

But, they say they’ve loved living in Ballincollig and have watched it transform around them, relishing the easy access, the evolution of the Regional Park, and the arrival of a new school, Gaelscoil Uí Riordáin across the road, next to the latest new homes development called Heathfield being done by developer/builders Murnane & O’Shea, who also did the well-regarded Highfield Park as a calling card to the Carriganarra location.

No 4 The Avenue is fresh to market with agent Garry O’Donnell of ERA Downey McCarthy, who says the 1,077 sq ft three-bed home has been meticulously maintained and was “lavished with high-end finishes throughout". 

It’s sure to attract the savvy buyer looking for a turn-key home.

He guides at €285,000, and expects his buyers to come from one of several buying niches, including first-time buyers (FTBs), investors, and traders-down/traders in: his difficulty will be in dissuading some of the viewers from wanting to buy it as-is, fully furnished.

An investor could get €1,600 a month for it, Mr O’Donnell reckons, while an FTB could help a start-off mortgage by availing of Rent a Room tax reliefs. And, for traders down, they’ll take comfort from the fact there’s no garden to maintain, as No 4’s external space is a sit-out sized wrap-around first-floor balcony, off the 18’ by 12’ main, first-floor living room.

The 1,080 sq ft duplex is entered at the front of the three-storey block via a red door at the front, where carpeted internal stairs lead to the mid-level which houses that big living space, spotless fitted kitchen, U-shaped with white units, a utility and guest loo, and tiling is all fresh and modern.

Another flight leads to the top floor, where one of the three bedrooms is en suite and there’s also a main/family bathroom.

Overall, No 4’s in mint condition, and the location just off the N40/Ballincollig bypass is likely to be quite a draw for cross-city journeys, to and from third-level colleges, and to employment and medical bases, ever-expanding in Cork city’s western suburbs, while Ballincollig town centre is a short walk away.

There’s an annual maintenance fee of €820, and the siblings now selling up say the estate is well-maintained, and their surrounds are mostly owner-occupied: “We’ve a lovely balcony and, ideally, our apartment is suited to a first-time buyer, a couple or someone downsizing who wants a no-maintenance, easily-kept modern home.”

VERDICT: Right up your avenue?