A quaint Co Clare cottage complete with sea view and a picturesque garden came on the market in October with a guide price of €17,000. The two-bedroom house, at Labasheeda near the village of Kildysart immediately began attracting calls from the UK and Australia, according to Shane Finn of DNG Creedon, the Cork based agency that handled the sale the following month. In the end an American buyer looking for peace and tranquillity in Co Clare paid €81,000 for the coastal hideaway at Kernaig, Ballyartney, Labasheeda, on the east coast of Clare overlooking the Shannon estuary
The early 20th century cottage had just under an acre of garden overlooking Clonderlaw Bay in an area that’s renowned for set-dancing. The cottage has a quaint interior featuring an old range cooker, matchboard ceilings and polished linoleum floors.
“The view alone is worth the money, and you could say we are throwing the house in for free” said Finn of the small but well maintained cottage which has been a full time home for the owner for the last 13 years.
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Prior to the auction Finn took calls from holiday home seekers in Germany and the UK as well as from "Celtic Tiger pups living abroad who want a bolt hole at home."
Why the low guide? According to Finn, appetite for housing in the area remains “somewhat limited” and Kernaig was priced to sell on the day, ie the guide attracted strong enough interest to generate a buzz about it.
The house had 77 sq m (829 sq feet) of floor space that was warmed by a Stanley type cooker and an additional wood burning stove. There's a livingroom and diningroom on the ground floor, along with the kitchen and a bedroom. Upstairs is a loft-style bedroom and a bathroom.
There’s a small garden room at the back of the house and outside the grounds are divided up into lawns and terraces and have been generously planted by the owner.
At the time it came on the market there were 90 properties for sale across Ireland at €17,000 or less, but many of these are small parcels of land with houses virtually in ruins.
The DNGCreedon auction took place on November 3rd.
