Dublin 14: €2.75m: Buyers in the market for an impressive family home will be interested to see a price drop of €200,000 on a large period house on just over half an acre off Sweetmount Avenue in Dundrum, Dublin 14.

The 465sq m (5,000sq ft) six-bedroom house failed to sell at auction earlier this year, with agent Sherry FitzGerald now quoting €2.75 million, down from €2.95 million.

Dating from the 1860s, it is semi-detached to the rear, and is built on land that was once part of the Hughes Dairies farmland. There is a little bit of history in the house itself, notably in its original kitchen where a cake containing a screwdriver is said to have been made to send to Eamonn de Valera in prison.

Orchardton was last on the market in 2004 when it was sold with a larger garden. Much of this has since been developed, leaving 0.6 of an acre, a lot of it in a large area of lawn in front of the house behind a high granite wall.

With its large well-proportioned rooms, Orchardton is an elegant house that will appeal to people who like to give a party or two. It has some fine original features, such as fireplaces, working shutters to the tall sash windows and ornate plasterwork ceilings. It is in good decorative order throughout having been well cared for by previous owners.

The layout includes a wide entrance hallway, a big airy drawingroom opening into a conservatory, a fine kitchen on the upper level, along with a diningroom and three bedrooms. The lower level has three further bedrooms, a family room and a utility room, while a self-contained flat has an additional livingroom and kitchen breakfastroom.

Buyers at this level of the market are clearly taking their time to commit to a sale, particularly with the hope that there may be some reduction in stamp duty levels in the forthcoming Budget. A number of similarly priced properties have buyers waiting in the wings, though they are not prepared to sign contracts until after the Budget.