It is unlikely that any future development in Macroom will ever be more conveniently located than The Orchard, a 36-house estate being built by Fleming at the top of Chapel Hill, with a pleasant prospect over the whole town and allowing the eyes on a good day to take in the unmistakeable shape of the Kerry Paps to the far north-west. 

Just take a short stroll to the bottom of the hill past St Colman’s church, turn left and you are immediately in the heart of a thriving town with a range of shops (including major retailers Dunnes Stores, Lidl, 4 Homes, and Supervalu) and services that testify to the major growth that has taken place there in recent years. But it is not just that; the great advantage of The Orchard, particularly for anyone who is a regular commuter to the city,  is that it is strategically positioned to allow quick access by a back route to the N22 to Cork, thus avoiding the main traffic flow through the town (something that will improve, hopefully in the near future, when the bypass is built, providing even an extra boost to local business  – and property prices).

The Orchard is a mixed development of three-bedroom and four-bedroom semi-detached homes, as well as one five-bedroom detached. The 1,306 sq. ft. four-bedroom homes at €320,000 seem particularly good value. A pleasantly generous hallway has a decent-sized guest wc off and opposite this some valuable storage pace.

The living room, at 12’1” x 18’0” features a bay window, while the kitchen/dining area, at 19’3” x 11’4”, has an all-important utility room (something that should really be an essential feature of all new houses) with a door to the side of the house. French doors lead from the dining area to the back garden and contribute to the general overall sense of brightness.

Upstairs, the landing echoes the space of the hallway and has an interesting feel to it with its irregular shape and bedroom doors set at different angles. The master bedroom, at 10’5” x 13’4” has an en-suite.

A mortgage package for this development includes a choice of 15 lenders, no broker fee, and reduced legal fees. Full 100% mortgages are available, subject to the normal conditions,and discounted rates are also available. A 95% mortgage on a four-bedroom home, for instance, would mean a cash payment of €16,000 and, based on a two-year fixed rate of 4.65% (APR 5.2%) over 35 years,  a gross monthly payment of €1,467. This could amount to a net monthly repayment of €1,231, with tax relief being calculated at the first-time buyer’s rate on a joint application.

One particular type of three-bedroom house (in fact, there are two types differing only slightly in size), which measures just over 1,140 sq. ft., has a price of €305,000. The allowances here are €1,900 for the kitchen, €900 for wardrobes, and €700 for a fireplace. The downstairs is made up, as in the four-bedroom, of a hallway with wc and storage, a living room, and a kitchen/dining area with an adjoining utility room. The master bedroom has an en-suite.

There are a lot of positive aspects to Macroom for anyone thinking of putting down roots there. Cork is within easy striking distance as also is Killarney (just an estimated 30-minute drive).. The social infrastructure is  well developed, with plenty of schools and sporting amenities, and, what will undoubtedly be the most atttractive feature for a lot of people, quick access to a rich and varied countryside and all that it has to offer.

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