This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/aug/21/uk-cheapest-flat-alnwick-alnmouth-northumberland
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| England's cheapest flat? | England's cheapest flat? |
| (4 months later) | |
| Have you ever been through Alnmouth on the East Coast mainline? The sea sparkles beyond the platforms, and a row of brightly-painted houses invites you to dream of doing a modified John Stonehouse or Reggie Perrin and setting up home with the family as crab fishers in this idyllic spot. | Have you ever been through Alnmouth on the East Coast mainline? The sea sparkles beyond the platforms, and a row of brightly-painted houses invites you to dream of doing a modified John Stonehouse or Reggie Perrin and setting up home with the family as crab fishers in this idyllic spot. |
| That might be less of a strain on the purse than you'd expect, judging by the heading on a despatch from Northumberland by our ever-industrious friends at North News. 'Flat may become Britain's cheapest with guide price of £1000', it says. And this is in Alnwick, the beautiful town just up the river Aln from your railway reverie, whose residents include the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. | That might be less of a strain on the purse than you'd expect, judging by the heading on a despatch from Northumberland by our ever-industrious friends at North News. 'Flat may become Britain's cheapest with guide price of £1000', it says. And this is in Alnwick, the beautiful town just up the river Aln from your railway reverie, whose residents include the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. |
| The Northerner prompted much discussion earlier this year with a couple of pieces on England's cheapest house, offered on eBay for £501. As with the Alnwick flat, that was just a starting price but actually the final, successful bid wasn't hugely much more, at £8250. It will be interesting to see what happens with this latest example. | The Northerner prompted much discussion earlier this year with a couple of pieces on England's cheapest house, offered on eBay for £501. As with the Alnwick flat, that was just a starting price but actually the final, successful bid wasn't hugely much more, at £8250. It will be interesting to see what happens with this latest example. |
| It certainly shouldn't be as spectacularly low as the final price of the little and very dilapidated end-terrace in Ferryhill, county Durham, which was the subject of our stories back in March. But it still shows in similar style the gap between prices in different parts of the UK, and how vast some of the chasms created by the market and especially by the dominance of London have become. | It certainly shouldn't be as spectacularly low as the final price of the little and very dilapidated end-terrace in Ferryhill, county Durham, which was the subject of our stories back in March. But it still shows in similar style the gap between prices in different parts of the UK, and how vast some of the chasms created by the market and especially by the dominance of London have become. |
| The two-bedroom flat in Roxburgh Place, vacated by an elderly woman who has gone to live with her family, was originally marketed for £85,000 but fell to £65,000 when the first attempt at a sale fell through. Two further negotiations also went wrong before exchange of contracts and the owner wants to get on with things; so the property has gone for auction. | The two-bedroom flat in Roxburgh Place, vacated by an elderly woman who has gone to live with her family, was originally marketed for £85,000 but fell to £65,000 when the first attempt at a sale fell through. Two further negotiations also went wrong before exchange of contracts and the owner wants to get on with things; so the property has gone for auction. |
| The £1000 tag is a come-on and profile-raiser, as valuer Tony Fairs of Agents Property Auction says: | The £1000 tag is a come-on and profile-raiser, as valuer Tony Fairs of Agents Property Auction says: |
| The family are keen to sell quickly and are taking the view that it's a tough market and they will take what they can get for the property. They have advertised the flat with no reserve price and a guide price of only £1,000 making it the cheapest in Britain. | The family are keen to sell quickly and are taking the view that it's a tough market and they will take what they can get for the property. They have advertised the flat with no reserve price and a guide price of only £1,000 making it the cheapest in Britain. |
| The property will likely appeal to someone seeking an investment, buy to let or holiday let or a first time buyer. We're seeing increased numbers of first time buyers buying through auction. You could reasonably expect to let the property for around £400 to £425 per calendar month. | The property will likely appeal to someone seeking an investment, buy to let or holiday let or a first time buyer. We're seeing increased numbers of first time buyers buying through auction. You could reasonably expect to let the property for around £400 to £425 per calendar month. |
| Think about it, as the train picks up speed on the equally spectacular stretches of the train line on either side of Alnmouth, north to the grandeur of Edinburgh and south to the wonderful bridges of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the glories of Durham cathedral and castle. The auction is on 29 August at the Marriott Hotel in Gosforth Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and we'll let those not bidding know how things turn out. | Think about it, as the train picks up speed on the equally spectacular stretches of the train line on either side of Alnmouth, north to the grandeur of Edinburgh and south to the wonderful bridges of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the glories of Durham cathedral and castle. The auction is on 29 August at the Marriott Hotel in Gosforth Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and we'll let those not bidding know how things turn out. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |