Two pubs, a block of nine flats worth more than £1 million and the freehold of a record store that’s been trading for 46 years are among the lots going under the hammer later this month.
More than 170 properties and plots in Kent are being sold at Clive Emson’s fifth auction of the year, with bidding set to go live from July 22 to 24.
Among the most eye-catching lots is The Forester in Deal, a seafront boozer described by KentOnline’s Secret Drinker as the town’s “only real pub”.
The end-terrace building, which also includes a three-bedroom flat and garden, has a guide price of £380,000 to £400,000.
Further up the coast, the former Kings Head Inn in Sarre, near Birchington, is also up for grabs.
Once a popular venue with seven en-suite letting rooms, it has lapsed planning permission to be converted into a home. The guide price is £250,000 to £275,000 and auctioneers say there may still be potential for alternative schemes, subject to the necessary consents.
The most valuable lot in this month’s sale is a freehold block in Maidstone, comprising nine flats at 41 Hedley Street. Seven are currently let, with two vacant, and the total estimated annual rental income when fully occupied is almost £90,000.
The guide price is £1.02 million to £1.05 million.
Another block in Bower Lane, also in the county town, contains six flats and is being offered for £720,000 to £730,000.
In Canterbury, a long-established business premises is going under the hammer.
The freehold of 12 Whitstable Road includes the home of Canterbury Rock, a double-fronted record shop that has been trading from the same site for 46 years – and will continue to operate after any sale as the tenant has a lease on the store.
The property, which also contains two flats, is guided at £350,000 to £375,000 and is billed as a solid investment prospect.
Several development opportunities are also expected to draw attention.
One of the more notable is land at the rear of 18–24 City Way in Rochester, where planning permission has been granted for eight new flats.
The site is currently occupied by an advertising hoarding, which auctioneers say could be removed with notice. The guide price is £300,000 to £350,000.
In Ashford, a triangular site at the junction of Carlton Road and Bridge Road – previously granted planning for a car park – is being sold with a guide of £100,000-plus.
Ramsgate offers another potential project with Addington Street Garage, a site that already has permission in place for four new townhouses in Addington Place. The guide price is £320,000 to £330,000.
Also in the town is Park Lodge in Montefiore Avenue, an unusual period building that includes three properties. Two have been sold off on long leases, and the remaining vacant home – a three-bedroom end terrace – is in need of full refurbishment. The lot is guided at £180,000 to £185,000.
Investors will also be eyeing Sittingbourne, where a High Street building comprising a shop and five flats is listed at £650,000-plus. Three of the flats are currently vacant, offering scope to boost the rental yield.
Another Sittingbourne lot is Filmer House at 21 High Street, a block of flats currently let at £37,650 per annum, with a guide price of £350,000-plus.
In Medway, a terrace of three modern townhouses in Prospect Avenue, Rochester, is being offered at £600,000-plus, while a mixed-use building in Chatham High Street with planning for seven flats is guided at £375,000-plus.
More unusual offerings include a 27-acre woodland in Longfield, known as Court Wood, which is expected to sell for between £90,000 and £95,000, and the freehold of a lock-up garage in Whitehill Road, Gravesend, guided at £10,000-plus.
At the more affordable end of the scale is a vacant studio flat in Milton Road, Swanscombe, listed at £65,000 to £70,000.
Clive Emson Auctioneers holds eight auctions a year and operates across the south of England.
Bidding for this month’s sale opens on Tuesday, July 22, and closes on Thursday, July 24.
