Designed to impress and delight, mansions come in all shapes and sizes, but while some are occupied and loved for centuries, others are forgotten and left to the sands of time. From sprawling historic homes to impressive new estates that were never quite finished, these abandoned mansions for sale are the ultimate fixer-uppers. Click or scroll on to take a look inside the grandest neglected homes on the market right now...
Available for a staggeringly low sum, this beautiful, federal-style home can be found in the city of Columbia, Kentucky. Spacious and filled with lovely historic features, the fixer-upper has endless potential.
Known as the Field House, the property dates back to 1812 and is said to have a connection to classic American author, Mark Twain, although the listing doesn't elaborate further. Head through the front door and you'll find yourself in a light-filled, 4,480-square-foot interior. There's a spacious hallway, decorated with incredible vintage wallpaper, walnut hardwood floors, antique light fixtures and a prominent staircase.
On either side of the hall, there are two parlour rooms that are perfect for entertaining guests, or curling up with a book. There's also a dining room, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Every single room is also filled with historic details, such as hardwood floors, original fireplaces, sash windows and built-ins. However, it's clear from the state of the walls and ceiling in this once-segmented room that some renovation efforts will be needed to bring the house back to life.
According to the listing, there’s also a partially finished attic, which could be utilised as a master suite. However, the house needs work both inside and out and, apparently, the plumbing and electrical systems will need to be updated in order to meet modern standards. If you fancy taking on this beautiful affordable historic home, it's for sale with RE/MAX Highland Realty for a mere £78,400 ($99.9k).
If you have a slightly bigger budget you could get your hands on this amazing historic home in Toledo, Ohio. Described by the listing agents, Wiens & Roth Real Estate, as an "Old West End home", the property has bags of kerb appeal, as well as seemingly endless interior space.
Built in 1902, the Victorian residence benefits from almost 5,000 square feet of inside space, spread across three floors. There's a light-filled entrance hall with a gorgeous timber staircase, numerous reception rooms for hosting and relaxing, a kitchen, a library, six bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Every single room boasts dreamy period details that the new owner will no doubt want to preserve. These include hardwood floors, tiled fireplaces, sash windows, wood trims, wrought iron radiators and beamed ceilings – and despite the home's age, these elements all seem to be in great condition, so not too much work should be needed in order to get the house move-in ready.
As well as the main house, the property also comes complete with a spacious garden and a garage, above which there's a rental unit with its own kitchen, laundry space and bedroom. So, whether you want to buy the house and flip it for profit or create your dream home, this listing is one you shouldn't overlook, especially when it's priced at £133,300 ($170k).
Over in the iconic Dordogne region of France, you'll find this spectacular 17th-century country house. Marketed with Patrice Besse for £375,500 ($479k), or €440,000 locally, the historic structure is surrounded by the breathtaking landscape of Périgord-Limousin regional nature park.
The U-shaped house has three floors, including a large attic and measures almost 3,700 square feet. Inside, there are countless characterful rooms, decorated with tiled floors, lime-coated walls, beamed ceilings, pretty French doors, dramatic fireplaces, carved timber doors and unusual built-ins.
On the ground floor, there’s an indoor courtyard, a cloakroom, a vast reception room, a living room and a kitchen, while upstairs you’ll find three large, light-filled bedrooms with strip parquet floors, a bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe. The top floor is home to the attic, which extends more than 1,000 square feet and could easily be transformed into a stunning master suite.
Outside, there's a quarter-acre garden, with a garage that's prime for conversion and a covered dining terrace, so you can enjoy alfresco meals throughout the year. There's plenty of space for further expansion – but with such a dreamy landscape just beyond your front door, you'll likely want to spend all your time outside.
Sandwiched between Nantes and the ocean, this majestic French estate dates back to the 17th century and sits in the middle of more than 12 acres of parkland. With exquisite historic architecture and no end of space to play with, the abandoned castle is a seriously enticing real estate opportunity. For sale with Patrice Besse for €530,000, that's around £452,000 ($577k), it's also an affordable option, but the new owner will need to put in some hard graft to bring the colossal crib up to scratch.
The house can be found behind a wrought iron gate, protected by high stone walls. The building itself is laid out around a vast paved courtyard with a semi-circular moat. Once inside the estate's walls, the home's impressive 4,779-square-foot stature becomes clear. The prominent property has a rich history and was once the stronghold on the border between the provinces of Poitou and Brittany, protecting locals from potential attacks.
Listed as a Historic Monument, the fairytale castle has been remodelled several times over the decades, but following years of neglect, it now requires substantial restoration work. It's unclear why the mysterious abandoned home was left vacant, but it isn't hard to see its potential. There's a bright entrance foyer, two kitchens, a living room, dining room, lounge, library, eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms, decorated with fireplaces, parquet floors, generous ceilings and exposed beams.
Other highlights include the home's three cellars, the old pavilion, the bakery with two bread ovens and the stable block paved with striated stones and equipped with a fodder loft. The 12-acre grounds also benefit from formal gardens, meadows and fields, allowing for unobstructed views. There's even a 15th-century chapel and an old farmhouse, both of which are waiting to be restored or converted into additional living spaces. Now that asking price is sounding even better, isn't it?
Over in County Kilkenny, Ireland, you'll find Rathmore House. This impressive Georgian beauty sits on 21 acres of land in the heart of the Suir Valley and dates back to 1890. While its façade is traditional and elegant, its interior is sprawling and bursting with potential. Let's take a closer look...
Listed with Purcell Properties for £499,000 ($637k), or €585,000 in the local currency, the mansion isn't the only asset included in the sale. The buyer will also gain 11 acres of agricultural land, so they could start up a business or utilise the acreage in some other way. Laid out over four floors, the traditional farmhouse comes complete with a large entrance hall, a study, a drawing room, five bedrooms and three bathrooms.
But that isn't all. There are endless rooms in this pad, including a music room, a formal dining room, a traditional farmhouse kitchen, a utility room, a pantry and a basement equipped with a wine cellar. There's even a huge attic with three further rooms, accessible via the original service staircase.
Of course, every room is in need of a full overhaul, but there are plenty of lovely features that the new owner will want to retain. These include vaulted ceilings, large sash windows, hardwood floors, vintage chandeliers, elegant mouldings and marble fireplaces. While it will be a big job to bring the house back from the brink, we're sure the effort would be well worthwhile. Are you up to the task?
Providing fantastic bang for your buck, this 60-acre homestead in Franklin County, Massachusetts, is priced at just £549,000 ($700k). For your money, you'll gain two homes and a barn, as well as seemingly endless land that's waiting to be put to good use.
The main residence might look like a historic farmhouse, but it was actually built in 2005 and never quite finished. So, the buyer will need to bring their imagination and their tool belt with them in order to complete the job. Measuring 4,500 square feet, the property occupies an elevated position, meaning it benefits from incredible views across the surrounding landscape. As for the interior, it's a real blank canvas.
The remote residence offers plenty of lovely touches inside too, such as hardwood cherry flooring, full-height fireplaces and solid timber doors. However, most of the rooms need to be finished – we’re talking floors, walls and ceilings – so this isn’t a job for the faint of heart. However, some of the work has already been done, including the installing the heating, plumbing and septic systems. The standalone two-bedroom cottage is also in need of a makeover.
Of course, the land surrounding this homestead is truly spectacular, with rolling hills, thick woodlands and soaring peaks in the distance. What's more, the estate lies close to the mountains of The Berkshires and the sought-after ski slopes of Vermont, making it ideally placed as a vacation retreat. Turn the spare home and barn into rental cottages and you've got a house with a job thrown in!
Why buy a mansion, when you could buy a beautiful château? This majestic property is located in the Bresse region of Burgundy, France, and is for sale through Patrice Besse for a cool £554,800 ($708k), which is €650,000 in the local currency.
Although probably originally constructed much earlier, the abandoned palace was likely rebuilt during the second half of the 18th century. Formed entirely from bricks, the symmetrical stately home has two slightly projecting wings topped with small turrets. According to the listing, the house was probably abandoned after the French Revolution, but it was used as a farmhouse until the end of the 20th century.
Rather frustratingly for the future owner, the doors and windows have all been filled in with bricks, or reduced in size. That’s because up until 1926, homeowners had to pay taxes on doors and windows. However, we’re sure that the buyer could restore these openings and create a light-filled home. Inside, there’s almost 5,400 square feet of living space, including various reception rooms and five bedrooms.
From oak staircases to brick floors, beamed ceilings and painted friezes, there are plenty of lovely elements that add character. Outside, the 10-acre garden is home to numerous outbuildings, including this large barn. Ripe for renovation, it could easily be turned into a second home or holiday let.
If you'd rather buy a fairytale castle, then this incredible property is sure to pique your interest. Positioned on almost 15 acres of land in France's central Corrèze region, the castle dates back to the 15th century and is overflowing with authentic features.
Soaring up four floors, the idyllic castle boasts round towers with pepper pot turrets covered in chestnut shingles, lovely mullioned windows with transoms and a studded wooden front door topped by a triangular pediment featuring the carved coat of arms of the former Earl's family. The castle’s interior doesn’t disappoint either. The ground floor features a hallway, a dining room, a library and a cloakroom, all decorated in a neo-Gothic style.
Other rooms include a vast kitchen with a granite inglenook fireplace and 10 bedrooms – four were originally servants' quarters and two of which are linked by a secret passageway! As for period features, there are almost too many to name. From napkin-pleat wood panelling to herringbone parquet flooring, stained-glass windows, red hexagonal terracotta tiles, French-style painted ceilings and rustic exposed beams, this castle was truly designed to dazzle.
Yet the castle isn’t the only building included in the sale price of £589,000 ($751k), or €690,000. The buyer will also gain numerous outbuildings. These include a tall farm building, complete with a garage, stables and cowshed. There's a hayloft, supported by elegant stone columns, that could be turned into a cool barn conversion. There are also endless English-style landscaped grounds waiting to be explored.
If you're house-hunting in Hudson, New York, then your search could be over. Known as the Dr John C. Dubois House, this majestic mansion has history, style and space in abundance. For starters, it's positioned on one of Hudson's most glamorous tree-lined streets and has so much kerb appeal it's sure to make your neighbours green with envy. Plus, it's up for grabs with Compass for a fairly reasonable £780,000 ($995k).
An architectural gem, the property was built for the local doctor’s family in around 1880 and now lies at the heart of the Hudson Historic District. The 6,200-square-foot residence has been chopped and changed a lot over the years, including numerous extensions. Thankfully though, the previous owner began returning the house to its original splendour and has left it in a good state for the buyer.
Core restorative works have already been undertaken, which should make finishing the job slightly easier. The timber staircase has been restored, the home's hardwood floors repaired and original stained-glass windows fixed – they just need to be installed. However, clearly quite a lot still needs to be done. Inside, there are six bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms and endless living spaces, spread across three floors.
Original features include the home’s huge arched windows, etched glass apertures, fireplaces, brick exposures, parquet floors and exquisite turquoise turret that decorates the façade. The third floor provides panoramic views of Mount Merino and the Catskills, while the quarter-acre private garden has plenty of space for a swimming pool. There’s even a huge basement that needs to be finished. What’s more, the house lies in an opportunity zone, meaning the buyer will be eligible for federal and local tax credits.
If you'd rather buy in France, then how about this mesmerising 19th-century château? Positioned in Saintonge, the property is located between Saint-Jean-d'Angély and Cognac, a region rich in both vineyards and history, making it the ideal place to create an enticing bed and breakfast.
Up close, you can really take in the grandeur of this historic home, which can be accessed via a long, tree-lined driveway. The château is sited on almost 72 acres of land and the main residence covers 3,767 square feet. With its impressive exterior, decorated with a hipped slate roof, freestone limestone blocks and oversized French windows, the manor was clearly designed to wow.
Inside, there’s an entrance hall with a stone floor, a living room with a veined marble fireplace and intricate moulded ceiling, an oak-panelled library and a kitchen. A stone staircase with wrought iron bannisters leads up to five bedrooms, one of which has an ensuite and another, an elevator. There’s also an attic and a secret room known as 'The Caves', which was once the old boiler room. The space is said to have a concealed entrance that only the new owner will know about...
There's also 8,072 square feet of outbuildings, including a small, three-bedroom house that was once the old laundry room, a farmhouse that's been divided into a dwelling, barn and garage, as well as two adjoining buildings and a former barn, so there's endless space to play with. If you've got €1.5 million, or £1.3 million ($1.6m), then this remote luxury home could soon be yours. If you're keen to snap it up, then Patrice Besse has all the information you need.
Nestled amongst the undergrowth in the quaint town of Lecce, in Italy's Puglia region, lies something of a hidden treasure. The ornate stained-glass windows and arched doorway peeking out from the trees are the first understated glimpse of the grandeur of this 18th-century palace, which is on the market for just under £1.5 million ($1.9m), or €1.7 million, with Patrice Besse.
From one of the terraces, you can glean the scale of the overgrown estate. There's over 7,500 square feet of land surrounding the palazzo, though the grounds have largely been reclaimed by Mother Nature. However, the interior spaces have been impressively preserved, frozen in time from when they were last occupied.
The palace offers a total of 15 bedrooms, plus an array of incredible living spaces steeped in history. Stepping through the front door is like entering a time capsule: this remarkable kitchen with its bold black and white motifs looks like it's been virtually untouched, with old-fashioned metal saucepans still poised on the stove.
One of 30 rooms across the palazzo, this sitting room is one of the residence's most exceptional spaces. From the decorative vaulted ceiling to the damask-print walls and gilded mirrors, the historic features have been impeccably preserved over the decades. We can't wait to see new life breathed into this remarkable estate.
Would you spend £1.5 million ($1.9m) on a mansion that isn't even fully built? If you'd be tempted, then this half-finished property in Marshall, Michigan, is up for grabs. Construction work started in 2000 and yet somehow, all these years later, the pad still isn't complete.
Described as “a palace of the Great Lakes region” by the listing agents, the new-build mansion benefits from a gated entrance and a winding brick driveway, as well as 30 rolling acres where plans are in place for a pond, swimming pool, pool house and guest house. Visually unique, the pad was designed by award-winning architectural firm DesRosiers, and features a jaw-dropping rotunda that takes centre stage both externally and internally.
Stepping inside and the extent of the work that's still required become obvious. With bare stud walls and construction materials scattered across every room, the house is certainly a blank canvas that could be finished in a variety of ways. The house is laid out over four floors, with 15,800 square feet of space in total. The current owners can even provide contractor quotes to finish the house, as well as blueprints and optional architectural designs to help the buyer complete the job.
The sprawling layout includes a chef's kitchen, numerous living rooms, a dining room and a grand entrance hall with a spiral staircase, a glass elevator and the imposing glass rotunda overhead. There’s also an epic owners' suite that occupies the full right wing of the main level, plus space for four additional bedrooms. The basement was designed to house a gym, games room, home theatre, bar, aquarium, sauna, yoga room and cryogenics salon, but the space could be put to almost any use. Plus, an adjoining seven-acre parcel is also for sale and comes complete with a concrete bunker!
Up for a challenge? If you're house-hunting in New South Wales, Australia, and have AUD$5 million, or £2.5 million ($3.2m), going spare, then you could bag yourself this huge, neglected property. For sale with Stone Real Estate, the mansion lies in the rural Shellharbour City suburb of Dunmore and occupies 96 acres of land. In August 2023, the price was slashed by a staggering AUD$1 million (£504k/$643k).
Known as Minnamurra Mansion, the unfinished property has become somewhat of a local landmark and, thanks to trespassers, is now covered in graffiti. According to local sources, it was designed to be a sprawling equestrian homestead but work came to a halt in 2009, after the owner went into receivership. It sat empty and untouched for years, with ongoing court orders to restore the environmentally sensitive wetlands that were damaged during the construction process.
Since then, the house and grounds have been used as a street art canvas and an illegal skate park, so plenty of work will be needed to rescue the structure and render it liveable. Sadly, we don't know the exact dimensions of the mansion, but we do know it soars up three floors and boasts an imposing entrance foyer with a Cinderella staircase, six bedrooms, nine bathrooms and a basement level. There's even an amazing indoor pool that's currently riddled with algae.
On the plus side, Shellharbour Council has already granted permission for the estate to be transformed into a 33-room eco-resort, complete with a pool, spa, restaurant, bar, gym, rooftop terrace and 20 hilltop lodges for guests. If the buyer decides to go this route, then any lucky tourists will be able to soak up incredible views of the nearby Minnamurra River from almost every vantage point. Do you have the imagination and budget to complete this amazing abandoned mansion?
If you're in the market for an abandoned American mansion like no other, then look no further. Priced at an eye-watering £56.4 million ($72m) through Hall and Hall, Cromwell Island in Montana is the ultimate private paradise. The idyllic isle not only benefits from more than 348 deeded acres of land and a guest villa, but also a huge unfinished mansion that's waiting to start a new chapter.
Construction started in the 1990s, when the current owner and her late husband purchased the plot. The building works continued for a decade, until the couple decided to move elsewhere, leaving the mansion abandoned and incomplete. Apparently, it was designed to emulate 16th-century French architecture and we can certainly see what the couple was trying to achieve. Stretching an impressive 45,000 square feet, the property radiates grandeur.
Built to survive extreme island weather, the house has a concrete shell case, reinforced with epoxy-coated rebar. Currently, the interior is laid out as a three- or four-bedroom home with nine bathrooms, but since it's still very much under construction, there's plenty of flexibility when it comes to the floor plan. Two staircases in the main entrance would offer guests a dramatic welcome, while a helical staircase takes visitors up to the north tower.
Every single room is huge, with soaring ceilings, endless windows and plenty of elaborate design details that haven't quite been finished. Talk about the ultimate fixer-upper! As for the guest villa, it's all but complete and just needs a few final touches. Travel to the island is mostly by boat and the property comes with five slips that can essentially accommodate every kind of vessel, including a 70-foot yacht!
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