100k Barlaston house 'puts smile' on Dion Dublin's face in Homes Under the Hammer

A house in Barlaston 'put a smile' on Dion Dublin's face - as he visited North Staffordshire in today's Homes Under the Hammer. The former Premier League striker toured an end-of-terrace in the village, which had a guide price of £100,000.

Dion was impressed with the "'good size front garden"' and off-street parking before entering the three-bedroom house, saying: "This is a good start, it's put a smile on my face."

Through the hallway, Dion spotted a cross trainer in the bright dual-aspect lounge.

"No laughing," he told the camera operator as he climbed onto the cross trainer for a quick workout. Whilst using the exercise gear, Dion said: "We're in the lounge, you've got a dual-aspect lounge which is good - It's kind of an L shape.

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"This is a good size lounge, we've got good double-glazed windows which is nice. Obviously, it needs decorating as there are a few bits and bobs that have been left in here. It feels a little bit damp in here and I can see that some of the wallpaper is curling off the walls here and maybe that's a sign of some moisture in the house."

Through a door in the lounge, Dion found the "wide galley" kitchen. Dion admitted that the cupboards "have seen better days". Everything in here has seen better days." However, he said that he thought the lounge being connected to the kitchen was a "good idea but there needs to be a few quid spent."

Past the downstairs toilet, Dion headed upstairs to find two double bedrooms and a box room.

On the family bathroom, he said: "It's a pretty tight space. I would want to take that one out and put a brand new one in and brighten that up and tidy that up."

In the bedrooms, he said: "You've got two decent-sized bedrooms and a smaller one and everything needs to be decorated. There needs to be new carpets and the whole lot needs painting. But what I do like is the double-glazed windows in this house all seem to be ok. I think that will save you a few quid and put a smile on your face."

Going out into the garden, Dion said: "Good news, we've got space at the back of the house as well. It is a little bit of a concrete jungle out here but we have got a decent amount of space. Maybe you could put a single-storey extension on the back of this house."

Dion also noticed solar panels on the roof.

Chris Noone, from Butters John Bee, visited the house in March 2023.

He said: "The property has already got a great layout. Some people may prefer a kitchen diner rather than a lounge diner. That would just take the removal and repositioning of the wall which would be quite easy to do.

"The space around the garden including the front side and the rear, there's plenty of scope for an extension if somebody wants to. It might not necessarily add value as it is a good sized property already but the option is there. This property fully renovated would sell for around £190,000. I would expect it to rent for around £850 pcm."

The house was bought at auction by motorcyclist Craig for £118,000.

Craig, who had no experience of property development, said: "I was looking for a property to buy for myself to live in. We looked at auctions and that's how we saw this. I've got a kid who lives just around the corner.

He said the large driveway, with ample space for his bikes, was a "big attraction." Craig's kids, Penny, Arthur and Edith would help with the renovations by picking colour schemes and helping with painting. However, Craig said he had to rip out the carpet and kitchen. They said they hoped it to be done "within a couple of months."

With a budget of £20,000, Craig was able to change the kitchen fittings, add a laminate floor to the living room, update the downstairs WC and add a facelift to the master bedroom. Craig said he expected the internal work to be completed within three weeks at time of recording.

In June 2023, Penny Ball, from Butters John Bee, said: "The standard of finish is great in some areas. You can definitely see where they are going with it. There are still elements that need to be done but what they have done so far is really good.

"On the sales market, I would expect it to be marketed for £180,000 to £190,000. The property could rent for £850 pcm."

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