Old Quarter/ Lisheen Fields/ Classes Lake Ballincollig

T

Tobi

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Hi,
Have a query re: the three estates named above.
H2b and I are looking to buy in Ballincollig area, and these three areas seem to suit our needs best. We are ideally looking for a 4-bed.
Asking prices in Classes range from 320 to 370k
Old Quarter detached house asking is 430k and semi is 360k
Lisheen Fields asking is 390k

In terms of value and location, which of these would be the best to go for, and if we were putting a bid on, how much would you recommend we start at.

We have mortgage approval for approx 350k

Any help / advice greatly appreciated!! We're completely new to this house-buying lark! :eek:)

Thanks!

Tobi
 
The sizes and layouts of these houses is very different. What ones are you looking at?
 
All of the ones i mentioned apart from one of our choices in Old Quarter are the detached 4 beds..approx 1500-1600sq ft.
Lisheen is their type A ones from what i can remember, the ones in Classes are the standard 4bed detached style they built all through the estate, and the Old Quarter are their 4bed detached also - they do have a 4bed semi aswell ( I dont have the size of that tho) Both Lisheen and Old Quarter(detached one) are three story.

THanks!!
 
I'm not gone on the three story because I think you get too much bedroom/landing etc vs living rooms.
Children bedrooms on a separate floor and a split level kitchen, dining, living room might not be ideal for a family with small children.

Lisheen fields has planning for 280 houses. There are only about 20 built. The rest is currently planned as duplexes etc but might change.
You can look that up on the council website.

The standard 2 story in Classes Lake is dear at 350. The older ones have a better layout (built before the wheelchair restrictions) there is a handy utility under the stairs, the new ones have the bathroom there and less space in the sitting room.

Classes is on a slope with most houses facing due south or due north, check out the orientation and the slope of the drive/garden.
Due south facing = cold kitchen and back garden but nice sitting room, due north is the opposite.
South facing slope also means the neighbors at the back are at a lower level which is more private than having them at a higher level.
 
Old Quarter = Not worth it. This place is only a few years old and looks run-down already. The density is far too high there - you get a smell of trash all around the place almost something you'd think of in a estate of student accomodation. Also, since so many of the houses have no back garden access peoples front gardens are littered with bikes, bins, etc that really brings down the look of the place. To me, it seems obvious the builders built this place for people to buy off the plans and rent to first suckers to come along. Rented there for a while - see no positives at all to this place.

Lisheen Fields = not worth it. Although I don't have first hand experience of living there, I can tell just by the look of the place it wouldn't be suitable for families. For one, yes all the houses are detached but they are so close as you look up between the two buildings you feel like you're in a cave. Also, a 3 story house is suitable for families at all, you'd have stair gates everywhere and once a child is on another floor they are quite far from you, more than just in the next room. My guess is either that none of the houses are built with play room and the other normal stuff families need to function.

Classes Lake = solid choice. Although this place is massive, the houses were built before the builders went off their heads building any kind of junk. The houses have utility rooms, play rooms, decent gardens (front and back) and usually enough driveway to park two cars although some streets clog up with on street parking.
 
Seems like the kitchen area in Lisheen Fields is too small, extensions being built on already by some of the 8 or so owners.
 
Thats rediculous - extensions already in Lisheen Fields??!!

I'm not sure who's worse - the builders who built this trumped up rubbish or the ding-dongs that bought them. Imagine paying half a mil for a house you have to extend to actually live in. Well, lucky they even had the space in the garden for an extension - didn't even think they had much a gard in LF to start with.

-- O man
 
There is a LOT of traffic going through Old Quarter now. Also, bear in mind early morning delivery trucks to Dunnes etc.
 
Have you considered Fionn Laoi. asking prices of some of the units were slashed following the recent floods.

still asking €550,000 for the four beds but you could probably get them down a bit as its an unfinished estate and looks like being that way for a long time.


http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=382367
 
Thanks for all the replies folks, its much appreciated. One of the reasons we weren't really considering Fionn Laoi was that they ARE very close to the river.
Do any of you know if they were flooded at all in November??
We did view them, and they seem quite spacious, but relatively small back gardens (nothing new there though). Both of us did like them but we were concerned that they could flood at some stage.
Also access to the main road, if heading into Ballincollig, could be difficult in rush hour as there is v.heavy traffic in the mornings.

Do you think we are limiting ourselves too much by looking at ballincollig only? Reason we thought of there is that I work in West Cork, and drive down via crookstown so Ballincollig suits me best. H2b works in the city, and currently uses the bus to get to work.
Could any of you recommend another area we may be overlooking???

THanks!
 
Ballincollig does sound like it would suit your needs. The bus terminus is outside Classes Lake but would serve all the places you are talking of.

Not sure is Faoin Loai flooded. It is very near the river but no more so that Lee View, an older estate beside it.
 
Have a look at the Crescent up in Highfield park. Lovely spacious well spec.d 3 bed semis. Well built homes by Murnane O'Shea. No affiliation. Excellent location
 
Why not rent in one of the areas mentioned for a while and get a feel for Ballincollig without being committed to it?

With interest rate rises on the horizon later on this year I feel that houses in most parts of the country will be getting cheaper for the forseeable future
 
Hi thejuggler, we're already renting in Ballincollig actually - that's one of the reasons we're thinking of buying here.

Its handy for me getting to work, and for h2b also for going into the city.

We've just not seen anything that jumps out at us yet - maybe i'm just being fussy, but there's always something either or both of us dont like about each property we've seen so far!!

...my main requirements are that i don't want to be overlooked at the back, I would prefer the front of the house has a specific boundary e.g. walls or even hedge-not open paved area, a decent back garden, a sitting room larger than a postage stamp(",), a downstairs loo and a utility room.

does your perfect house just "jump out at you" when you see it, or would there generally be some changes required to make it perfect???


(as i said, i'm new to all of this house-buying business)
 
I felt we had to make some changes and live with somethings being a little less than perfect. If you do buy, do the work before you fill the house with stuff!!!!!!!!!!!! Itts way easier.

Not overlooked at the back is hard to get.
 
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