Crumbling Kent farmhouse left to rot for decades could be yours for £400k – but it needs some work
A CLASSIC Kent farmhouse with three bedrooms and several large reception rooms is on the market for £412,000.
The Grade II-listed property has a lot of potential as a stunning family country home so long as the buyer doesn't mind a reconstruction project.
The historic South Forstal House, in the picturesque North Kent Downs, still has period features including timber beams, brick fireplaces and real wooden floors.
It is located in the hamlet of Throwley Forstal, neat Faversham in Kent, and has planning permission to improve the layout.
Inside the property, which is being sold by BTF Partnership, the dilapidation is clear and it is in need of a complete renovation.
There is peeling wallpaper, damaged stonework, and marked flooring which would need to be repaired. The renovation would include structural work, electrics, and painting and decorating.
The building is Grade II listed which means someone moving in would only be able to full refurbish it at the moment, although the estate agent selling it did say extending it might be possible.
When renovated it could make a spacious family home although there is a lot to do including rewiring, replumbing, and replastering.
In the bathroom, there is an original toilet cistern and freestanding bath - now a sought-after addition to most modern homes.
The house currently has a reception hall leading to a big sitting room, kitchen, and three further reception rooms, which could be used as a good sized-dining room, a snug or playroom, and a study or utility room.
Stuart Sillars from BTF Partnership, who are selling the property, said someone buying the property could easily spend £200,000 on doing it up, with similar properties in good order making £700,000 to 750,000 in the area.
While property expert, Henry Pryor, said the house needs almost everything doing to it.
This includes plumbing, wiring, heating, new floors, new windows, bath rooms, and the kitchen. He also said there could be big, hidden costs that will only become apparent when someone gets into the property including timbers to be replaced or plaster to be reinstated.
He said: "Someone buying this property will almost certainly spend over half a million pounds on the renovation although when finished the property should be worth well over £1m.
"It is a listed property that the local planning authority will be keen to see is properly and sensitively refurbished.
Upstairs there are three good-sized bedrooms and a family bathroom.
It has gardens to the back of the house and barn, with parking areas, and further neighbouring land that might be up for sale separately.
The farmhouse is a short drive from the town of Faversham, which is just under six miles away.
From Faversham station, central London can be reached in just over an hour.
While it may sound like a lot of work, we've seen similar properties for sale which have required total renovations.
These include a six-bed Doncaster house for sale last year for £90,000 which needed a lot of work to make it habitable.
While one keen DIY-fan added £25,000 to his property in 10 days by installing a kitchen.
There is an adjoining barn which has planning permission to be converted into another three-bedroom home, although this has already been sold under offer.
Mr Sillars added: "This is a very traditional and rural Kent farmhouse which is now ready for updating for modern living and it presents a fantastic opportunity for someone looking for a development project.
"This is a beautiful part of the North Kent Downs and the house will once again make a fantastic family home for the future."
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