It’s been a year of high prices for property but there are cheaper homes for sale, if not always in the location or condition you’re looking for. And they may not have features like a bathroom, or a roof. There are always buts.
What is the cheapest house in Ireland? A look at myhome.ie gives a taster of what's around at the lower end of the scale.
The cheapest house in Ireland (probably)
Castletown Geoghegan, Castletown, Westmeath
Price: €15,000 (reduced by €3,000 in September)
It’s far from habitable but it is described as a detached house, with one bedroom and one bathroom. The derelict cottage on 0.17 hectares is on Main Street in Castletown Geoghegan (it appears to be behind two shops on the main street, with the entrance through a laneway between them).
Castletown Geoghegan looks like an attractive village and is 12km from Mullingar, 20km from Tullamore and a short drive from Lough Ennell. The agents say it is a “most charming location”, convenient to a range of services and “offering tremendous potential”.
Calling it a house is probably a stretch; essentially this is probably a site rather than a doer-upper. It doesn’t indicate a Ber and, ahem, there is no list of rooms; peer at the photograph - it’s hard to fathom where what could be described as a bathroom might be amidst the large and attractive deciduous tree growing in what may be the sittingroom.
The agents says there’s an offer of €12,000 on it, so it may go for something above this. It comes with the proviso “sold as seen”, and from the pictures this does not appear to include a roof.
Pro: Castletown Geoghegan looks like an attractive village. Good aircon.
Con: It has no roof (or much else).
Agents: Kelly Estates Newcastle, Co. Dublin
Cheapest house with a roof
Leitrim Lower, Eslin Bridge, Mohill, Leitrim
Price: €20,000 (reduced by €12,000 in November)
This one has a roof (corrugated metal) and was lived in up to a few years ago. It’s a three-bedroom cottage, convenient to Mohill and the N4. It has had some refurbishment but has a way to go (the agents say it “requires finishing works”). There’s a livingroom/kitchen with a solid fuel stove, fitted units and stone effect tiles, a sittingroom (or a third bedroom; the fireplace opening is closed), and a bathroom. One of the bedrooms is en suite, and there’s rear lobby and an entrance porch. The agents say an offer around €20,000 will secure it, and that “a small investment and some TLC would transform it into a cosy residence or indeed holiday home with such an abundance of country walks and a host of natural amenities on its doorstep”.
Pro: A possible home or holiday home, with a wee headstart on refurb, for 20 grand.
Con: Still a good bit of work to do, and the Ber rating is G, the lowest on the scale, so that work includes a lot of insulation.
Agents: Farrell Property, Carrick-on-Shannon
Cheapest home in Dublin
20 Barons Hall Park, Balbriggan, Dublin
Price: €110,000
You could just move into this one. A ground floor apartment with one double bedroom, one bathroom and a designated parking space. Built in 2005, it’s pretty small, around 500sq ft, with gas central heating, a fireplace, double-glazed PVC windows and fitted wardrobes. The sittingroom and small kitchen area are open plan. The apartment is close to shops including the local Dunnes Stores. The owners have refused an offer of €104,000, say the agents.
Pro: The fitted kitchen has a cooker, hob, extractor fan and washing machine.
Con: Ber rating of D1, which probably means higher heating bills.
Agents: Thomas Byrne - Auctioneers & Valuers
The cheapest three-bed semi with a garden
4 Chapel Farm Green, Lusk, County Dublin
Price: €150,000
This looks like the cheapest in Dublin house with a garden, other than buying through a housing co-operative. The 90sq m three-bedroom family home is in a sought-after area in Lusk, say the agents, overlooking a large green.
But, but, but. There are always buts.
This is a pyrite-affected property and needs full remediation. This will likely set a buyer back about €25,000 for the work, plus up to another €25,000 for refurbishing afterwards. And because a bank won’t cover the mortgage, it will be a cash sale, so it might appeal to a developer, builder or someone who can do the work.
Aside from that, there’s a hall, sittingroom, kitchen/dining and WC downstairs, with three bedrooms (one en suite) and bathroom upstairs, plus a south-facing garden. Ber is C3. Lusk is an attractive village 23km from the city, with easy access to Skerries, Swords, Dublin Airport, train station, the M1 and M50. Ber is C3.
And the other but: there are already offers on it, bringing it over the asking price. And possibly above being the cheapest semi with a garden in Dublin.
Pro: Nice house, well located.
Con: The pyrite issue makes this a different proposition to first appearances.
Agents: REA Grimes (Skerries)
