Glenageary AMV €600,000:There are some sights you rarely witness nowadays: brand new cars, helicopter pads as standard, and residential property auctions.
As agreed-sales often became bogged down in long waits for mortgage approval – and demand for properties fell off a cliff – estate agents steered clear of the auction format.
But recent months have seen a small return by the larger agencies to the auction market.
It’s perhaps an indication that there is a bit more confidence in the market’s ability to dictate a fair price, and it’s a transparent way for agents to show clients they are getting the best price possible.
When it comes to Springfield House, a 19th-century double-fronted country-style home that is bang in the middle of Glenageary – on sale through Lisney – it will be a matter of the right person showing up at the auction on February 27th.
The legacy of Springfield House’s former residents is everywhere in this home – from the bed still assembled in the front livingroom; and the chintzy curtains and plush carpets (both included); to the 1980s bidet in the upstairs bathroom.
Running through the centre of what is an eight-room rectangle is a long hall, lit at one end by a large, west-facing window, with the result that, unlike many open-plan homes designed and built today, you could visit one member of the family at Springfield and never meet another if they happened to be in a different room.
The house has high ceilings, bay windows to the front – these may have been an addition to the original building, but are no less appropriate for that – and open fires in all the rooms except the kitchen. The marble fireplace in the diningroom to the rear of the house is a particular delight.
There is a large kitchen with fitted wooden cabinets in excellent condition, which could feasibly survive the inevitable restoration and renovation that Springfield, which is up for auction as an executor sale, will have to undergo in order to pass modern muster. There is plenty of storage space both downstairs and up.
It will be a labour of love – something a potential buyer will need to bear in mind when weighing up Springfield House’s pros and cons.
But for many people, the joy of finding a detached four-bedroom home in Glenageary with plenty of space, a large west-facing garden and parking for two cars, may win out over the fear of having to give it some serious TLC.
Description:Four-bedroom 19th-century house in need of modernisation with lots of natural light, bay windows and high ceilings
Agent:Lisney
