Estate agents are reporting increased interest in property in the west of Ireland since the mass work-from-home situation kicked in. With this no longer being considered a privilege for the minority of office-based workers, the option for many to live much further from their employer’s base is opening up new lifestyle options and more affordable property options.
The west is starting to beckon to many who now don’t feel the need to wait for retirement until they can relocate. To help you whet your appetite, and give you an idea of what’s on offer in different areas and price ranges, I’m going to start sharing selections of properties for sale throughout Connaught.
Today I’m starting with four-bed homes in South West Mayo. No renovation work is needed on any of them although you may want to make some (minor) decorative changes to suit your own taste. Ranging in price from €275,000 to €349,000.
Each weekly post will look at different sizes and types of housing, as well as different locations, and they are based on online listings. If you’d like a tailored house-hunting service, get in touch.
This is a spacious detached house in a suburban estate on the edge of Castlebar town. It’s move-in ready with contemporary and neutral finishes throughout.
It’s being marketed as a four-bed, but there are three official bedrooms upstairs with a bonus room downstairs that could be a bedroom if needed. If not, a more practical use could be a playroom or home office.
From the photos all the rooms appear to be bright and airy and there’s a family-friendly garden and shed in the west-facing rear of the house. Plus easy parking for two cars in the front.
In addition to the main bathroom, the master bedroom is ensuite and there’s a downstairs loo. And a utility room. All great assets for a busy family life.
Only 18 years old, it seems the house has also gone through some upgrades recently with new internal and external doors, improved insulation and a new boiler.
Another great plus is the stove in the living room, which has a back boiler. If you’re moving from Dublin to the west, you may also be making the switch from metered gas central heating to buy-in-bulk and pay-in-advance oil-fired heating. If you’re fond of real fires a back boiler is a great addition, helping you to stretch your oil.
If this is the right size and right location property for you, then it’s definitely one to visit in person. With your own furniture, accessories and a few plants, it won’t take much to make a comfortable new home here. Check out the interior photos and full details here.
The kerb appeal isn’t great, but that can be sorted easily enough so bear with me…
Designed by an award-winning architect, in a word this home is huge.
With two reception rooms, a home-office, a utility room and a cloak room all on the ground floor, there is more than enough space to cater for family and working-from-home life without encroaching on any of the bedrooms.
Downstairs also has underfloor heating, and it is light and spacious throughout. Situated between Westport and Castlebar, this is a property that probably needs to be seen in the flesh to be fully appreciated.
In the photos it comes across as cold and not terribly inviting, but don’t assume that’s due to the architecture. In fact, I would put it down to the decor, which is easily fixable. So keep an open mind if you are looking for a four-bed home in this part of the country. Curtains, rugs, plants and colour on some of the walls would make a great difference.
There’s also a little bit of unnecessary wall-itis in some of the rooms and rearranging the furniture would also help to make it feel cosier.
If I were looking for a spacious family home in this part of the country I would check this one out for sure. See the interior photos and full details here.
Moving west doesn’t have to mean buying second-hand. If you fancy an all-singing, all-dancing brand new build with a 10 year guarantee, that is an option too. This development is also located on the edge of Castlebar town, just a stone’s throw from the countryside.
You would be buying this one off-plan and these properties come with A-rated energy efficiency. There is underfloor heating on the ground floor of all these houses, and on both floors in some. Three double bedrooms (master ensuite) and one single – but if working from home you would probably want to look at giving over one of the bedrooms for your home office.
Oh, and they’re detached too.
With zoned gas heating and all the energy efficiencies, these home owners can look forward to much lower fuel costs than most. And an added bonus is the price tag of €275K. Read the full details here.
Like all the others, this last house is also detached. And you won’t need to sacrifice one of the bedrooms for a home office as a bonus room on the ground floor will solve that need.
In lovely condition, with (mostly) neutral décor, it looks very inviting. With downstairs loo and utility room, and the master bedroom ensuite, it ticks all the family-needs boxes.
Leicnin Village is set in the countryside, close to the grounds of Turlough House. Yet it’s less than ten minutes drive to Castlebar. So it’s a great option if you don’t want to be in a town, but you don’t want to be too far away either.
In the next post I’ll look at properties in north Mayo, but I will also be exploring what’s on offer in Galway, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon in the coming weeks. If you’d like me to research a particular category in a particular area, comment below or send me an email on hilda@hildacarroll.com.
You may also be interested in:
9 Things to Do Before Putting your Home on the Market.