Co Dublin/€3.1m: Some areas are all about families and Blackrock, Co Dublin, is one of the best. The houses are substantial for the most part, with great gardens and some of the most high-achieving secondary schools in Dublin.

Lisney is to auction a five-bedroom detached house on Cross Avenue on 28th June with an AMV of €3.1 million.

Glenbevan is one of a small group of detached houses built in 1989 on the site of Herberton, former home of Vivien de Valera. The residents on this stretch of Cross Avenue have nurtured their gardens to the extent that the houses blend seamlessly with older properties. Glenbevan backs onto the mature gardens of Herberton.

With 238 sq m (2,560 sq ft) of living space, five bedrooms and three bathrooms, new owners are unlikely to convert the spacious attic although they could. Proportions are comfortable, with high ceilings and deep coving.

A hardwood front door opens into a broad hallway with a mahogany staircase. To the right is a cosy family sittingroom looking out on a copse of birch trees. Next door is a cloakroom large enough to fit the family piano, with a guest toilet at the far end. Also facing front is a diningroom. Double doors open to a large drawingroom, with further doors leading to the garden.

Probably the most appealing room is the kitchen/breakfastroom with doors to the garden at the dining end. There are cream country-style units, blue tiles and a deep blue gas-fired Aga.

Upstairs, a bright landing lit by a tall return window doubles as a study. Bedroom one includes fitted wardrobes and en suite. At the far end of the landing is a guest bedroom with wardrobes and en suite. In between are three good bedrooms and a huge bathroom with attic access.