It’s showtime in Midleton for this stylish home

SOME buyers like to do their own decorating — others will jump at the opportunity to buy a fully furnished interior designer-decorated former showhouse, such as 12 Rock Brook in Midleton.

Fully kitted-out showhouses are pretty rare to the market these days so Savills was expecting a good crowd for the open viewing of the A3-rated 1,210sq ft three-bed semi .

This house type has been selling for €315,000 with a builder’s finish and a PC allowance for the kitchen and wardrobes, so the availability of one for €335,000 with carpets, curtains, cushions and everything else a homeowner needs seems like excellent value.

“No expense has been spared — it’s tastefully decorated and in turnkey condition,” says auctioneer Elizabeth Hegarty noting that it is eligible for the Help to Buy scheme and will be particularly attractive to first-time buyers.

It’s the final sale in a 28-house development of three and four-bed semis and four-bed detached properties built by Hallmark Developments.

“This is a low-density development with just seven properties to the acre and has 18 three-bed semis, four bed semis and six four bed detached houses,” says Ms Hegarty, adding that all bar this one are either sold or at sale agreed.

Looking picture-perfect as a showhouse should, it’s stylish and contemporary with fashionable grey, silver, beige and cream colour schemes teamed with carefully chosen accessories.

The front sitting room is beautifully co-ordinated with grey curtains, blinds and furniture, matched with blue cushions and has everything you need to just sit back and relax, even a TV.

A large gold mirror throws a little light and creates a contrast to the muted greys.

As befitting a room in house with an A3 energy rating, it has a marble fireplace with a stove.

The kitchen dining room at the rear is equally modern and stylish with pale grey units and a breakfast counter overhung by triple pendulum glass lights.

First-time buyers will especially appreciate the fact that it has a full set of appliances.

The built-in bench by the dining table is the type of feature that the average home decorator would love to have but wouldn’t think of putting in. Here the interior designer has also chosen blue cushions to liven up the grey colour scheme.

There’s also a utility room and a guest WC in which the sanitary ware has been upgraded from standard.

Ms Hegarty says when the scheme was launched last year the developers decided to give the showhouse the best possible finish and used the interiors design company House & Gardens to decorate the residence.

The first-floor has a tiled bathroom and three carpeted bedrooms (one of which is en-suite) with fitted wardrobes.

All are decorated with the taste you would expect to feature in a showhouse.

To achieve its A3 energy rating the house has solar panels, a high level of insulation, heat recovery ventilation and a gas condensing boiler.

Overlooking a green area, the property has a paved driveway and a landscaped garden at the rear. Savills say the gardens in the Rock Brook development are larger than average.

Ms Hegarty says that showhouses often sell without being advertised because buyers offer to buy them early on.

In this case, she says, the developer decided to keep it until all the others were sold.

“This is a really good price for a fully furnished house which is ready to move in to,” she says, adding that the development attracted strong interest since the first phase was launched early last year.

Because the demand for three-bed semis was high, the developers changed the plans slightly to build a few less detached houses and a few more semis. “These semis sold out in just a few days earlier this year,” she reveals.

Estimating that at least half of the Rock Brook three-bed semis have been bought by first-time buyers, Ms Hegarty says purchasers in the estate have come from Midleton, from Dungarvan and from Cork city.

The last few went sale agreed in recent weeks and the final houses are set for completion in early 2020, she adds.

Located a little over two kilometres from Midleton and 15 from the Dunkettle Interchange, the Rock Brook development has already attracted several buyers who work in Little Island.

The Property Price Register has recorded 15 sales in Rock Brook since 2018. Last month a four-bed detached residence at No 23 sold for €460,000 while earlier in the year Numbers 18 to 20, three-bed semis of the same size as No 12, sold for €315,000 each.

VERDICT: House purchase and home decoration done and dusted in one go. A buyer might even be able to move in for Christmas.