Comment: Would you pay £1m-plus for a house like this?
The Park Avenue property has a guide price of £1,050,000. Picture: Paul Barker Estate Agents - Credit: Archant
Oh, to have a desk of one’s own.
This is the topic of Richard Burton’s feature this week, and speaking as a new desk-owner, it’s perfectly timed.
When the Herts Ad office closed its doors ahead of the first lockdown, I - like so many others - found myself working from home.
But while many were blessed with whole rooms kitted out with shelves, desks and ergonomically-designed chairs, I was perched on the edge of the bed with my laptop.
We’re now well into the second lockdown, and Richard’s quest for a desk has mirrored my own – and I’m disproportionately excited to report that I now have a place to park my laptop that isn’t my knee.
The luxury of working in a non-hunched, non-propped up by pillows fashion is not to be underestimated.
Another highlight of this week’s section is the property spotlight, AKA the project to end all projects.
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As the striking pictures confirm, it requires more than just a lick of paint. By which I mean a total renovation, inside and out.
But while some may scoff at the guide price - £1,050,000 seems a lot given the level of work that’s required - I’d be surprised if it didn’t sell for about this amount.
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It’s in a popular spot on the corner of Park Avenue and Jennings Road, close to Clarence Park and the station, and a buyer with a bit of vision (and lot of cash...) could transform it into something really special.
A nearby property in a similar state of disrepair changed hands for £1m earlier this year, proving that this sort of price bracket is realistic, and, several spruced up homes on neighbouring streets have sold for £1.5m-plus in recent years. What’s on offer here is the plot’s potential.
Yes, you could buy half a dozen immaculate mansions or a couple of castles in the wilds of Scotland for the same amount, but this is St Albans, where absolutely nothing comes cheap (apart from my desk - an import from Ikea.)