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REUBEN JOHN WORKS for the Paul Simon estate agent, and his job is to sell a beautiful one-double bedroom, top-floor flat with its own private balcony in one of London’s most sought-after areas, Muswell Hill.
The flat is being offered at the bargain price of £300,000 (€410,000). London has one of the hottest property markets on the planet right now, and this seems like an incredible deal. It is easily worth hundreds of thousands more in any other location.
There is just one problem… but first, let’s take a look at the flat. Decent enough, right?
So much space – something rare for a flat n London.
However, this apartment isn’t for everyone.
It happens to be where serial killer Dennis Nilsen lured between nine and 12 young, homeless gay men and prostitutes, with the promise of food or alcohol, and murdered them.
Nilsen moved into Flat 23D, Cranley Gardens, in North London in October 1981 and was arrested 16 months later when the drains became clogged with pieces of rotting corpses.
He used to chop up the body parts and flush them down the toilet. This is what it looked like when Nilsen lived there:
It has been over 30 years since those gruesome events, but it looks as if people still cannot see past Nilsen’s legacy to the incredible real-estate deal that is now on offer in lovely, leafy North London.
The estate agent Paul Simon is upfront about the flat’s history. Its website says:
John, the Paul Simon agent for the property, tells Business Insider:
When we initially marketed the property, we were inundated with enquires and booked an average of eight viewings a week. We are now only achieving minimum interest, say one or two enquiries a week.
The Cranley Gardens flat was sold at auction for £250,000 (€340,000) in August 2013 to a developer that, according to a Business Insider source, wanted to renovate the property and make a bumper profit. It believed it was going for nearly £100,000 (€135,000) less than comparable properties in the area at the time.
The owner did a great job:
It looks nothing like the time Nilsen lived there:
However, the owner has struggled to offload the property since last year.
The flat may have a past but John, who said he would happily buy the flat himself if he had the budget and was looking to buy in the area, highlighted some of the positives of the flat.
If the property’s history wasn’t an issue for people this property would be going for around £375,000 (€510,000). It would also have a return of 5% for buy-to-let investors who could rent it out.
It even has a private balcony, which is rare in London flats at this price.
One prospective buyer remarked to John that the property had “killer views”:
John said people are only offering “ridiculously low” offers at the moment but remains optimistic: “The right buyer will pop their head up, we hope.”
It can’t help that even some of his co-workers won’t even go into the property to show people around.
“One of my religious workers said he felt the presence of Jins (ghosts) and refused to do viewings,” said John to Business Insider.
That leads to a crucial question: is the property haunted?
Being a person of logic and science, I don’t think it is. Saying that, just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. So I’m sitting on the fence with that one, like any good estate agent.
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Victorian quarter????
Cork must think or want to be part of the UK with its “Victorian quarter” and olde English market
@Jamie: eh, I’m from Cork, this is the first time I’ve heard of our “Victorian Quarter”
Beat me to the punch. WTF, like.
@Dave O Keeffe: david old chap is that not where you go for your tea and crumpets
@Dave O Keeffe: It’s referred to that because it is an historical part of the city with a lot of Victorian buildings…..obviously.
@Grey Beard: Let me repeat. there is no ‘Victorian quarter’ in cork. Some marketing clown has invented it in the last few weeks….
@Rehabmeerkat: Have heard it referred to that for many years. Sure it’s not an official name, and it’s not trying to be. It’s just a name used to refer to an area of particular historical significance. It’s nothing new to me but used to work in the tourism industry
@Grey Beard: Anyway, there are some beautiful victorian buildings in and around McCurtains street. If calling it “the victorian quarter” is what it takes to get that street some investment and cleaned up, I’m all for it. The state it’s in at the moment is a shame.
@Grey Beard: When were you last in McCurtain St? The place is buzzing at the moment. Loads of new restaurants have opened there and the bars that were struggling are now doing well with people going for drinks before and after dining. As for the Victorian Quarter I grew up around the corner and never recall it being called that.
If it gets planning,probably won’t be built for another 10 years like everything else in the city,event centre ,Anderson quay,custom quay spring to mind,
@phil o c: if it gets planning, unlike a government backed project it will be build on time and in budget… Private sector is a different ball game altogether
@Jay Warner: The builders that build government backed projects and all other projects are private sector. Different ball game my butt.
The difference is if you delay in the public sector job you will still get paid.
Delay In a private sector job and you will be fined.
Awesome, hope it happens
@mcgoo: kawabunga dude
Good aul craic Cork “City” but in desperate need of a facelift. Battered weary looking place.
- 400,000 population in metro area
- International airport
- Second largest urban centre in the republic
- Cathedral
- University
- Institute of Technology
- 2-3 other third level institutions
- Has the only level 1 trauma centre in the country – CUH
Yea, it’s a city. Get over it.
@Tweety McTweeter: and a city council who loves ticketing shoppers that dare come into the city centre to spend money.
@Tweety McTweeter: Dowtcha kid..
@Ger Buckley: cause it’s free to park in Dublin…. oh wait..
@Tweety McTweeter: 400,000 me arse! Maybe 200,000 and that’s including towns 20 miles away.
@William Grogan: Glanmire, Ballincollig and Douglas are 20 miles away?
We don’t have a Victoria quarter. We have a group of langers trying to rename McCurtain Street.
Some LANGERS in this comment area today
@Jasun Ó Cearnaigh: Classic
“Relaxation collision space”…ah..of course….
Victorian quarter mon derriere. And thats one ugly looking building!
@Sean O Ceallaigh: I’m not a big fan of the architect community but it’s not the worst design I’ve ever seen. Have you got an alternative you could pop up on a web page and give us a look?
@Virtual Architect: “it’s not the worst” are our standards really this low?.
It reminds me of the block of bland which replaced the old capitol cinema, people say ” sure it’s better than what was there before”
@Eamonn Duggan: the Capitol looks nice now I think
Any parking?
@Eamonn coughlan: the central train and bus stations are literally 5 mins away
I suppose it is the back of the hotel
Terrible photo.
Sweet smug charming Cork
have your say