Going east to €525,000 Eden home as doctor owners pack up for Spain

DECIDING to move overseas is a big upheaval and making it a success hinges largely on where you decide to live. 

When two Spanish medics arrived in Cork two years ago, their choice of home was guided by ease of access to work. They struck lucky, because where they settled was also within striking distance of an ever-improving greenway, a scenic riverside walk, a bustling village and a well-resourced shopping centre. They chose Eden, a substantial residential development of mixed house types in the former grounds of Blackrock’s Ursuline Convent, stretching back as far as Skehard Road/Mahon.

“We both work in the Mater Private Hospital in nearby Citygate, so Eden is a great location. We can walk to work in minutes, along the greenway without every stepping onto the street, ” one half of the couple says.

She adds that proximity to the Marina Promenade — revitalised by a recent upgrade — has been a great source of enjoyment and an ideal place to walk their dog or grab a coffee, at either the Blackrock village end, where there’s a choice of coffee shops, or at the far end, where Cortado café has recently moved closer to the river. 

When the couple bought No 2 The Well, a three-storey, terraced townhouse two years ago, it was in pretty good shape. They did, however, make some decorative changes, including lightening the kitchen units and adding an island.

Much of the ground floor is open plan: Kitchen/dining/living runs in an L-shape and there are double doors at the dining end that open to an enclosed rear garden with a patio.

There’s a utility off the kitchen.

As a couple in the 161 sq m four-bedroom home, they had the scope to commandeer a first-floor room and turn it in to a home cinema, complete with projector, blackout curtains and soundproofing.

 “For us, it’s a good way to disconnect from the job,” the vendor says.

Another bedroom has been used as a studio/home-office. The main bedroom, en suite, is up top and runs the width of the house. 

A second top-floor bedroom opens onto a balcony. 

Each of the floors has a bathroom (ground floor guest loo, main bathroom on the second floor, en suite up top).

When No 2, The Well, which overlooks a green, last sold, in June 2023, the price was €485,000. This time, the price is €525,000. The selling agent, Megan Forde, of Sherry FitzGerald, is starting viewings this weekend and is seeing lots of interest from upsizers.

“A good few are looking to upsize, but there’s also a first-time buyer renting in the area and looking to buy and a few first-time buyer families,” Ms Forde says.

She adds that the location is a winner: Close to Blackrock village, the Marina, Mahon Point Shopping Centre, Citygate. There’s an Aldi supermarket and a primary care centre on the doorstep and a designated parking spot out front.

No 2 comes with a good energy rating — a B2 — which opens the way to green mortgage rates.

The house comes to market as its Spanish owners have opted to return to Alicante, where the weather is less fickle.

“We have tried our best to deal with the weather, but we are going back to Spain. I check the forecast in Alicante every day and it’s 20°C at the moment,” the vendor says.

VERDICT: Convenience is the USP at Eden. The bonus is a turnkey home.