A landlord from Kent bought a ‘dated’ three-bed Hanley home and gave it an ultra-modern finish with a “hands-off” renovation. Josh, from London and living in Kent, bought the home in Hanley at auction for £126,000, way above the £91,000 guide price, in a new episode of Homes Under the Hammer.
Former Premier League striker Dion Dublin was sent to view the three-bed semi in Hanley, which co-presenter Martin Roberts described as “not a bad place to be seeking out an auction lot” with its “cultural attractions, nods to Stoke’s ceramic heritage, educational institutions and great transport links.”
Dion was impressed with the off-street parking, which he described as “always a bonus.” Inside, Dion found two reception rooms and a kitchen downstairs.
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He was impressed with the “nice size” front room, but noticed a small patch of damp lurking in the corner. “Nothing major needs to be done in here,” he said.
Dion uncovered the property’s original tiles underneath the modern, grey lino. “They could look pretty nice if you were to clean them up,” he said.
But he was not impressed by the “dated” red, cream and grey colour scheme, and toyed with the idea of knocking the wall through between the reception rooms to create a “very big” lounge area, or the wall between the “tight” kitchen and rear reception room to create a “large kitchen-diner.”
Beyond the kitchen door was a downstairs toilet and large cupboard opposite, housing the boiler. Dion suggested turning the cupboard into a pantry.
He also found the back door to the garage, saying: “This house just keeps on giving. There’s more and more space.”
“Outside has the thumbs up, needs a bit of work though” said Dion as he found a garden that was “bigger than what I was expecting.”
Upstairs, Dion found three bedrooms and a family bathroom. “That’s one of the biggest box bedrooms I’ve seen,” said Dion.
He added: “The whole house needs a cosmetic refurb from top-to-bottom, and that’s basically it. That’s what I can see with the naked eye, and my naked eye is usually right.”
Landlord Josh had bought the property to add to his rental portfolio. He had plans to knock through the dining room wall and open up the cramped kitchen.
Seeing as he lived over 150 miles away, Josh planned to use his £30,000 budget to employ a team of local contractors to flip the house over three months.
After two months, the show returned to find the front of the house had been smartened-up with black windows and doors, and a gravel driveway. Josh had installed a wall and electric fireplace where the original tiled fireplace had been.
The wall between the kitchen and dining room had been knocked through, and, like the living room, the space had been given a modern-looking black-and-white theme. French doors were added to make the most of the outdoor space.
Josh opted to keep and clean-up the smart original tiles in the hallway. The house had been re-plastered and Josh kept the downstairs toilet.
A new bathroom suite had been installed upstairs, with a new boiler also put in place.
He said: “For this renovation, I wasn’t actually project managing.
“The builders managed everything for me. It was a hands-off investment for me.”
The project only took six weeks to complete. Josh spent £36,000 on the renovation, bringing him to a total spend of £162,000.
In January 2023, estate agent Phil Jones, from Butters John Bee, returned to the property. He praised the remodelling of the kitchen-diner.
Mr Jones estimated a guide price of £190,000 on the resale market, which Josh described as “a bit low,” saying he expected £210,000. Mr Jones estimated a rent of £1,000 per month on the property, which Josh described as “pretty spot-on, to be fair.”
That would give Josh a yield of 7.5 per cent on the property. He said he planned to return to auction and “repeat the process” after finding tenants for the Hanley house.