Derelict Limerick homes on the market for under €180k following refurbishment

LIMERICK City and County Council has placed four formerly derelict homes it acquired on a compulsory basis on the market - for less than €180,000 each.

Bids are being invited for the four properties, at Bruff, Abbeyfeale and Askeaton, with starting prices between €150,000 and €170,000.

However, as the price might suggest, potential buyers, in some cases, will need additional funds to fit kitchens and flooring and to put their own personal touches on the properties to finish them off.

This, the council says, can be done with the help of special grants.

Laws allow for some State bodies like councils to acquire land or property without the consent of the property owner.

Compulsory Purchase Orders are the legal mechanism they use to do this.

The local authority has acquired dozens of derelict buildings in recent years and it is now highlighting four houses across the county that have been placed on the market.

Upgrades to the properties have been allowed to happen thanks to a pilot project worth €3.3m.

Titled the Rural Limerick Housing Development, the project is being bankrolled by the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.

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As part of this, €2.5m was allocated to Limerick, with the local authority providing funding of €800,000.

The project is eligible to be used in 12 towns and villages across rural Limerick.

It’s aimed at first-time buyers and older people who wish to move into a smaller home.

At Main Street, Bruff a refurbishment has taken place of a one-bedroom townhouse.

With offers starting from €150,000, the terraced property (pictured, below) has been refurbished to a builders’ finish, with any potential buyer having to finish the kitchen with floor finishes and tiling of their choice.

At Convent Road in Abbeyfeale - and again on the market for €150,000 - a two-bedroom townhouse (pictured, below) has come to market in a similar way.

The detached single-storey dwelling has again been refurbished to allow the owner to finish the kitchen, floor and add tiling of their choice.

This house has a south-facing garden, off-street parking and lies within five minutes’ walk of shops, schools and facilities in the town.

The first of two properties in Askeaton, located at William Street (pictured, below), is on sale for €170,000.

An end-of-terrace two-bedroom townhouse, it features a kitchen and open plan living and dining area.

There’s a large south-facing back garden and off-street parking. The property is within a five minute walk of shops, schools and the town’s facilities.

The fact it’s located on a corner, the council says, allows space for potential extension of the property in the future.

With offers being invited in excess of €150,000, the final property, at Churchview, is a terraced two-storey three-bedroom townhouse, with an open plan kitchen and dining room on the ground floor and separate living room.

A large back patio and off-street parking also features, with the home within a five minute walk of shops, schools and local amenities.

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Limerick City and County Council has said where the houses do need to be floored and tiled, a grant of up to €50,000 is available to help this.

This is being administered under the Croí Cónaithe scheme, designed to assist in the introduction of more owner occupiers to local communities.

Since the homes have been left vacant and unoccupied for more than two years, potential owners are eligible to avail of this funding.