ESTATE AGENT SELLS WHOLE VILLAGE FOR £351

Estate agents will often claim that the property they are offering for sale represents good value for money – but one north Norfolk agent has sold a complete village for just over £350, following a hotly-fought sealed bid auction.

The village in question has a church, farm, pub and several houses, as well as its own steam railway line – although the properties may be a little too ‘bijou’ for some.

Clive Hedges, partner at Arnolds Keys and based at the firm’s Sheringham office, is delighted with the price achieved, as every penny will be going to a local charity which supports bereaved children.

The village in question is in fact a model village complete with working model railway, which Mr Hedges discovered when he went to value a house owned by a gentleman who was downsizing to a flat. 

Rather than simply dispose of the wonderfully detailed model, the pair came up with the idea of auctioning it off, with the proceeds going to Norfolk charity Nelson’s Journey, which the firm has adopted as its charity for 2019.

The village was displayed in Arnolds Key’s Sheringham office, complete with miniature ‘For Sale’ board outside one of the houses, and after a closely-contested sealed bid auction, the winning bid, from a holidaymaker from Derbyshire, was £351.56, which has now been donated to the charity.

“We are very grateful to the gentleman who let us sell his model in this way, and to the many people who came in to have a look at the model and leave a bid,” said Mr Hedges.

Staff at Arnolds Keys are raising money for Nelson’s Journey throughout the year, with a whole range of activities.  A different local charity is chosen by staff each year to be the beneficiary of staff fundraising.