A property initially advertised with an eye-catching starting bid of just £1 stunned the buyers after fetching a whopping £100,000 at auction.
Pattinson Estate Agents in Newcastle upon Tyne took to TikTok in June to flaunt the fixer-upper – essentially a duo of compact flats which looked as though they had been pillaged. A whole manner of items dating back to the 1990s were strewn across the premises, abandoned and gathering dust within the derelict interior.
Defying all expectations, Pattinson jubilantly declared this week: “We had a lot of interest in the sale to the point we ended up bringing the auction to a close sooner than originally planned. The property sold for £100,000 exactly with 98 bids.”
Further sharing their triumph on Instagram, they gleefully added: “We are pleased to say we have a very HAPPY SELLER due to the fantastic work of our auction team, and we have achieved the seller a whopping £100,000 for this pair of flats after almost 100 bids from interesting parties!”
Introducing potential buyers to the property, Pattison’s initial clip made quite an impression, revealing how overgrown foliage largely shrouded the exterior. Inside, a cluttered kitchen with appliances like a TV and printer haphazardly placed next to the cooker, and floors littered with cardboard and polystyrene, painted a vivid image of abrupt abandonment.
The living room was piled with broken furniture and trash, with no sight of the carpet due to the horrendous clutter. A framed picture of Jesus was found on the floor amid vinyl records, CDs and board game boxes.
A room that appeared to be an office housed an old computer with a bulky 90s PC monitor, while paperwork littered the floor beneath a large window with ruined blinds. The video then shifts to a bathroom riddled with mould and dirt before offering a rear view of the property.
Damaged brickwork encased wooden window frames in desperate need of more than just a fresh coat of paint. Some windows were boarded up, while another was obscured by a tattered curtain.
In contrast, a bedroom appeared largely untouched, albeit brimming with stacks of VHS tapes and an old CRT TV. The tour concluded with a utility room featuring broken cupboards and additional rubbish, including an open beer can.
Asked by Pattison on the listing if anyone would be willing to buy the property “for £1”, several TikTok users expressed they would.
According to Rightmove, meanwhile, properties in the street – Elswick Road – had an overall average price of £44,000 over the last year. And overall, sold prices in Elswick Road over the last year were 74% down on the 2007 peak of £166,833, the web site stated.
