“The Kinsale housing market is one of the strongest outside of the Greater Dublin Area, and demand from first-time buyers and traders remains strong,” says Rachael O’Leary, an agent with Sherry FitzGerald Cork New Homes.
This is also true at the higher end of the market with the recent news that Travis Knight, heir to the Nike fortune, has paid upwards of €4.5 million for a 464sq m (5,000sq ft) waterfront home in the coastal tourist town. This follows the sale of remodelled Georgian gem Raffeen, which achieved €4.75 million for food entrepreneur Colum O’Sullivan, owner of the food brand Cully and Sully, last year. This was again surpassed when a price record of €5.5 million was reportedly achieved for a six-year-old detached home on Compass Hill last September.
In terms of new houses, Hatley Homes are gearing up to release the latest phase of three- and four-bedroom houses within the newest part of Abbey Fort in Kinsale, just 30 minutes from Cork City.
Located on Bandon Road, less than a kilometre from the town centre, and within an easy commute to Cork Airport, Innishannon and Bandon, these homes are just a stone’s throw from the large employment hub of Eli Lilly.
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[ New four-bed homes 10 minutes from Cork city, starting at €470,000 ]
Since acquiring the scheme, Hatley Homes have completed approximately 85 houses, with the intention of completing a total of approximately 200 properties over the coming years.
Designed by Wilson Architecture, houses at Abbey Fort are spacious and have a light-coloured plaster finish with stone-effect window sills and door surrounds that fit in well with the architecture of Kinsale.
High-spec air-to-water heat pumps and insulation give houses A3 energy ratings so heating and running costs will be economical. High-efficiency windows and doors are by Munster Joinery, while generous back patios are paved with Newgrange silver granite slabs.
There are a limited number of four-bedroom homes available, from €465,000. Hatley Homes and Sherry FitzGerald New Homes are planning to release the next phase of three-bedroom homes in April and prices for the next phase will be announced soon.
All four-bedroom houses – measuring between 128sq m (1,377sq ft) and 132sq m (1,421sq ft) – have en suite principal bedrooms, with separate utility rooms and a formal reception room to the front with an informal family room to the rear, behind the kitchen area. Kitchens open out to the gardens, which are enclosed with timber panels and concrete post fencing, while front boundaries are finished with low-maintenance planting and powder-coated round-top railings.
