The first of the 17 detached modern A-rated properties in Hawthorne Avenue, Evanwood, Castletroy to come up for resale, No 10 seems to have everything it takes to make a trading-up family happy. “It’s a spacious, modern house which has been finished and decorated to a high standard and it has one of the most sought-after addresses in Castletroy, says Sean McGee of Sherry FitzGerald Limerick explaining that it’s been carefully maintained by the family who bought it new in 2018. A part redbrick-faced property with eight solar PVC panels, it has 163 sq metres of accommodation. This includes a spacious modern sitting room with alcove shelving as well as a generous-sized tiled kitchen diner with pale grey units and quartz worktops. There’s also a second living area/ home office as well as a utility room and a guest WC while the upper floor has a bathroom and four bedrooms including one with en suite. Out front, it has parking for several cars and at the rear, enclosed by high walls, a large garden with a lawned area with space for play equipment, a patio/BBQ area and a putting green. “It’s within a short driving distance of a range of amenities including schools, Castletroy Golf Club and shopping centre and also from the University of Limerick and Plassey Technological Park, says Mr McGee quoting a guide of €625,000. The house was purchased new in 2018 for €395,000. VERDICT: A box ticker, for sure Surrounded by deer and squirrel-filled woodland, this three-bed bungalow and its 3.85 acres of parkland on Ross Road at Screggan near Tullamore is anyone’s idea of a perfect rural sanctuary. Listing it with a guide of €700,000, Philip Kelly of DNG Kelly Duncan describes it as being stylish, luxurious and secluded. “It’s an architect-designed bungalow which was built in the 1980s and extended and refitted by current owners in 1999/2000,’’ he reveals. Located seven km outside Tullamore the property has a long driveway with electric gated and around three acres of parkland with a patio, a pond and some areas of woodland. Inside the brick-built bungalow, there are 137 sq metres of living space which has vaulted ceilings hung with chandeliers, white walls decorated with colourful modern painting and rooms full of antique furniture. One side is taken up with a huge sitting room which has windows on three sides, a vaulted ceiling with rooflights and a sandstone fireplace with a stove. There’s also a kitchen /breakfast room with modern white units adjoining a sunroom/ dining room overlooking the gardens. In the centre the property has a bathroom and a guest WC and, on the side opposite the living room, it has three bedrooms. Noting that he sold a nearby five-bed house on a 1.4-acre site for €900,000 last year, Mr Kelly says the Ross Road location is especially sought after. VERDICT: A stylish and secluded woodland retreat. From its rugged, hilly perch above Sky Road, Heather Hill looks out onto nearby headlands, neighbouring inlets and islands and across a wide expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. “It has some of the best views in Connemara” says Sorcha O’Sullivan of Matt O’Sullivan auctioneers, the selling agents for the three-bed stone-clad bungalow which – along with its rugged 5.78 acre site, has come on the market with a guide of €695,000. “Built in the 1990s as a holiday home, it’s clad in local stone and also has interior stone features in addition to hardwood flooring, Connemara marble fireplaces and bespoke kitchen units with granite worktops,’’ reveals Ms O’Sullivan noting that the three-bed property is larger than you might expect with 218 sq metres of living space. Accommodation includes two large reception rooms with exposed stone features, timber ceiling beams and marble fireplaces. There’s also a kitchen/diner, a bathroom and three bedrooms including two with en suites. To the side, there's a sunroom which because of its many windows, has the best views. Built into the hillside, the cottage-style bungalow is located six km from Clifden. Holiday homes on Sky Road – a scenic 16 km Connemara coastal route - are very sought after and movie actor Peter O’Toole once owned one. Ms O’Sullivan says that because of the elevation of the site, Heather Hill has some of the best views on the route. VERDICT: The house might need some updating but the views are absolutely perfect. Hunters Lodge in Tramore is a spacious five-bed family home which offers new owners the option of generating some extra income from tourism. “The five-bed property, located walking distance Tramore beach and racecourse, has been run as an Airbnb/bed and breakfast catering for surfing enthusiasts, racegoers, and holidaymakers,” reveals Maria Clifford of Liberty Blue auctioneers quoting a guide of €695,000 for the 265 sq metre property and its half-acre site. Built in the 1950s and significantly extended by previous owners, it’s been upgraded and modernised by the current ones who insulated and replaced the heating in 2012 which brought the BER up to a B3. In the original bungalow at the front, there are five bedrooms, two en suites, as well as a bathroom, a utility and a guest WC. At the rear, there is a 100 sq metre cedar-clad extension housing a kitchen, a living room and a dining room/ sunroom, long rooms which are all open plan at one end. “Since buying the house the owners have upgraded the kitchen and bathrooms and also landscaped the gardens and added a gazebo with a hot tub," says Ms Clifford. Hunter’s Lodge is located around two km from Tramore Beach and town centre and 11 km from Waterford City. “It's a spacious and versatile property which would make an excellent family home but also has potential for a hospitality venture,’’ says Ms Clifford. VERDICT: Ideal for a trading up but might suit retirees looking for a part-time occupation.