A tale of two houses
One’s a Cornish former council home set to sell for £1.2million...
THE property experts were right – when it comes to houses, it’s all about location, location, location.
And nothing could illustrate this more graphically than two homes which have both just been put on the market.
Derelict rooms and lichen on the roof can’t dent the seven-figure price tag of Sunset House in upmarket St Ives, while in Sunderland, a similarly sized three-bedroom terrace can be snapped up for just £1.
Although it has a dilapidated reception room and a tired exterior, Sunset House could be sold for as much as £1.2million.
However, it is probably safe to say that the three-bedroomed property’s charms are more what surrounds it than what’s inside.
The house, on Porthmeor Hill, overlooks the golden sands of Porthmeor beach, with panoramic views out to the Atlantic. It is also just feet away from the world-renowned Tate St Ives Gallery.
Some of its attractions are a little more down to earth, however – one of them being a garage. This is a sought-after asset in rocky Cornwall where space is a premium – last year in St Ives, four parking spaces went on sale for £37,000 each.
Last week it was announced that Sunset House would be put up for auction, with a seemingly quite affordable reserve price of £475,000.
Owned by Devon and Cornwall Housing, the freehold property has remained in council ownership since its construction decades ago.
But now, a local paper reports that a ‘potential buyer has stated that they are prepared to bid up to £1.2million to get the property’.
It added that a resident, Richard Barrett, had described the reserve figure as ‘ probably a small sum considering the property’s premium location’.
However, Mr Barrett also said he was concerned that locals would not get the chance to buy the house and that it would become ‘yet another private second home’.
Holiday homes in St Ives have become a controversial issue. Last year the High Court banned newbuild second homes in the town after more than 80 per cent of residents voted to reserve new homes for those who lived there full-time.
The ruling does not apply to Sunset House, which is open to outside purchasers. The property is also just a few minutes’ walk from the town centre.
Once a fishing village, St Ives is also renowned for its cultural heritage. Its artistic connections date back to Victorian times, when numerous artists came to the beauty spot to paint, attracted by its special quality of light.
In modern times, it has transformed into a resort for affluent tourists, who are attracted to its idyllic beaches, coastal cottages and upmarket restaurants.
And though the house may look forlorn now compared with its chic surroundings, it has many happy memories for those who lived in it.
Rodney and Olive Peters lived there together for a year in 1967 with Mr Peters’ parents while they saved for their own home.
Mrs Peters, 70, said: ‘We used to go on the beach, it was lovely at sunset. The view was absolutely out of this world. It was lovely, there’s nothing that stops it, all you can see is sea.
‘It’s such a beautiful, beautiful place. It lives it up to its name.’
At the time, Mr Peters’ father was general foreman of Penwith council, which offered housing to its employees.
When asked about the estimated £1.2million price, Mr Peters, 72, laughed and said: ‘The joke is, my father was going to buy it for £70,000 in the 1970s. So it’s gone up a little bit since then.’
Sunset House will be sold at auction in London by Allsop in September.