Buyer's Stories: Why buying a property next to a crack house turned out to be a good thing
I was desperate to get on the housing ladder. I’d been working abroad for some time and so was unable to get on the
I won’t reveal the area as I don't want to upset certain people. I found a perfect house in a rundown area, the agent had assured me it was up and coming, and that he would buy in the area if he had the time. Never being one to trust estate agent speak I decided to have a good look around the property. It was a Victorian terrace with huge bay windows, all original features were intact and it reeked of history. Being a structural engineer I could see the problems were only cosmetic, there was a lot of work to be done, but I've never been scared by hard graft.
The agent told me it had just come on the market and the previous owner was a little old lady who had died having owned the property for 47 years. In all those 47 years I don't think she decorated once. I decided there and then that I wanted the place. I put the wheels into motion and in a couple of months I was the proud owner of a fine example of Victorian architecture.
Over the next few weeks, I noticed that my next door neighbour had a lot of visitors at unusual times, played a lot of music and occasionally huge arguments would be heard followed by a deathly silence. I had made the cardinal sin of property buying; in my rush to find a property I’d not researched my neighbours. I felt I should go and introduce myself. After all, I’d worked in
I noticed my neighbour’s door was open as I climbed their steps. A figure was sitting just inside the entrance, I could only see his boots sticking out, the rest of him was hidden. As I climbed the steps I looked down at a large man leaning back in a chair, lit ciggy hanging from his lip. "You want Simple or you want Fatboy?" he said in tones so low he could work as a Barry White impersonator. "I'm your new neighbour, came by to say hi" I said, feeling not quite right about the situation. I heard a girl’s voice behind me, "Alright Jay". The large man on the chair said. "Yeah baby, upstairs." A girl in a wig and black fishnets, obviously on the game, brushed past me and ran upstairs. "So what you want man", the large man large man looked at me, his ciggy undisturbed as he spoke. "You want, I could do you something, good deal my friend." I decided I now had a grasp of the situation, "No thanks, just came by to same hi. See you later”.
I never spoke to the man again; apparently he was shot the next week. The police raided the place soon after and fixed huge metal grills over the windows and doors. I’m glad they had not raided the place the day after I went round. Although I endured
The Agent had known that the house next door to mine was a crack house, but somehow had forgotten to tell me. It seemed everyone else knew too. Although the street was rundown, it wasn't too bad; a few families, ample parking and I just knew this area with its period features and large Victorian terrace houses would attract a good crowd. Once the crack house was shut down the whole street seemed to brighten.
The best thing about buying a property next to a crack house is that sooner or later the police will shut it down. I actually bought the abandoned crack house at the local auction. It went for quite a bargain; helped by the particulars pointing out that the house had been shut down by the police for "distribution of illegal drugs". I guessed it scared away a lot of the Sarah Beeney crowd.
Next time you are looking for a good property investment, and you don't mind a little action. Don't ask your Estate Agent, ask your dealer.
The writer has asked that his name be withheld.
This is part of an occasional series of Buyer's Stories. We'd love to hear about your experiences when buying a property.