Heard the saying you should buy the worst house on the best street? This fixer-upper in Wales offers the chance to do just that
If ever there was a property in need of a ‘back to brick’ renovation, it’s this long-abandoned home in Mid Glamorgan.
READ MORE: These extreme fixer-uppers are not for the faint-hearted
Having been unoccupied for more than 40 years, the time warp home is in a sorry state and requires a major overhaul to make it habitable.
But while its windows are boarded up and the house lacks kerb appeal, it's the odd one out on the street – the surrounding homes have bags of character and appear to be well-maintained.
Hidden gems?
Inside, the property is in need of total refurbishment and a thorough modernisation to drag it out of the seventies and bring it into this century.
But if you look closely, there may be some period features worth rescuing. For one thing, the hallway harbours incredible period tiling across the walls and floor.
You could also discover a vintage gem amongst the furniture, as most of the previous occupant’s contents have been left behind.
Sadly, all of the clutter makes it difficult to tell what state the floors are in, but there’s a chance that there could be some original wooden floorboards underneath the carpet, just waiting to be stripped back and polished up.
But there are more pressing issues to deal with before you start to decorate – it’s clear that the living room and dining room have some damp issues, especially around the windows.
In the kitchen, one of the worst-effected spaces in the property, a huge portion of the ceiling is missing, as is most of the plaster, so there are certainly significant structural repair costs to factor in.
From the looks of the fireplace in the living room, the house may well need central heating installing, especially as there are no radiators shown elsewhere in the property.
The description of the first floor is murky at best, with two to three bedrooms indicated but no bathroom mentioned. While this may be an oversight, anyone looking to take a gamble on this fixer-upper should budget for the additional costs of plumbing and installing a suite just in case.
Outside, the garden is overgrown, but it’s nothing a bit of elbow grease couldn’t fix, plus it looks to be a decent size and could be a draw for families when the property is renovated.
Potential for profit
The good news is that with a guide price of just £17,000, you should be able to make a profit even if you let your imagination go wild fixing the place up. Over the past couple of years, other houses in the street have sold for as much as £94,000.
To add to the home's profit potential, a three-bedroom house on the street has been put on the market this month for £149,995, so there's even a possibility that by the time you've finished the renovations, the ceiling price for the road will have risen further.
The house is set in the small Welsh village of Blaenrhondda, which is surrounded by pretty countryside and mountains.
It's also close to the larger villages of Treherbert and Treorchy, so there are plenty of amenities in the local area.
Bidding for the property opens on October 20 with a minimum starting bid of £13,000. The guide price is £17,000 though, so it’s unlikely to be sold for less.
There’s also a buyer’s premium of 1.2% of the purchase price or a minimum of £750 (including VAT) payable.
Feeling brave enough to take on this huge refurb? See the full listing with Paul Fosh Auctions here.
READ MORE: How to renovate an old house
Images: Paul Fosh Auctions