Derelict house sold for £1 that came with ‘enter at your own risk’ warning has unbelievable transformation
A woman who bought a derelict house for £1 that was in such a shocking state that it came with an 'enter at your own risk' warning showed off the incredible transformation.
Maxine Sharples signed up to the 'home for a pound' scheme run in Liverpool, which was open to residents of the city who were looking to take their first step on the property ladder.
To get one of these £1 houses you had to prove you could afford to renovate the place within 12 months, and the house Maxine bought was estimated to need about £49,000 worth of work done.
Speaking on a documentary for CNBC, Maxine said it was four years after she applied for the scheme that she was told she'd been shortlisted for one of the properties.
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At first she thought it was a scam but decided to go for an interview where it was clear this really was the scheme trying to sell her a house for £1.
We say house, before Maxine got her hands on the place you wouldn't have wanted to live there.
Getting the keys in February 2020, she had one year to complete renovations on the property, and her first plan was to 'flip the living arrangement' so the lower floor of the house would be two bedrooms and a bathroom while the kitchen and living room went upstairs.
Her first big problem came when she needed to hire contractors to carry out the work, as most quoted her prices well over her budget and the ones she could afford said they couldn't start for another 'six to 12 months', which wasn't great as she was on a 12 month timetable.
In May 2020 she decided to quit her job so she could carry out the renovations herself, and then in August 2021 she moved out of her rented home and into a camper van to save on money.
Maxine said she 'hit rock bottom at this point' as she was unemployed, had just gone through a break-up and could not find reliable tradespeople, and feared that the house would be taken off her as she'd not been able to renovate it in time.
It's at this point that you learn the lesson you really do get by with a little help from your friends, as some of Maxine's pitched in to lend a hand and get work back on track.
Due to the pandemic she was given an extended deadline of 24 months to complete the work.
She didn't quite hit that target but by May 2022 the house was transformed from a derelict wreck into something that could be called a home, and she was able to live in it.
It was another few months before the final touches were done and Maxine spent around £59,000 in total on renovations.
At the end of the day it's an unbelievable transformation, and shows that she was right to take a punt that started with just one pound.
Joe Harker