Renovating An Abandoned $1 Home In Liverpool, UK | Unlocked

Maxine Sharples bought a dilapidated 2-bedroom Victorian townhouse for $1 in Liverpool, UK in 2020. The home had been abandoned for 15 years and she spent nearly $74,000 renovating it.

Unlocked is a home tour series focused on how much people across the globe spend on their housing, what they get for the money and what they had to sacrifice to make it happen.

Produced by: Beatriz Bajuelos
Supervising Producer: Jessica Leibowitz
Camera: John O’Mahony
Editor: Dennis Donovan
Animator: Elham Ataeiazar
Contributor Editor: Nina Zipkin

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[holdupnow]

Ridiculous how the government had property sitting for 15 years but want the owner to complete construction in 1 year.

[ninjanerdstudent]

I think the premise of the 1st homeowner clause is to prevent developers and landlords from buying the entire neighborhood. It's understandable.

[millerhdvideos]

My parents shared this video to me and said go to 2:29 😦 We lived in this house in Webster Road 1998, we moved out in 1999 and as far as I am aware, no one has ever lived in that house since. I am so shocked, that was my childhood house which I thought it would get demolish one day but now it has been renovated, amazing! 👏🥺

[b.nzie.]

I am pretty sure her father is utterly proud of her. Well done lady

[midsommar]

This is a success story for a single woman who not only put the work into her dream but also survived a pandemic, the loss of her father, a shortage of specialized labor, no job, and changed her living situation... Kudos to her being now a property owner 👏

[JomerTB]

You can tell she put so much blood, sweat, and tears into that house. The final product is beautiful. She did an amazing job.

[lukestevens]

I would have gone completely bonkers under that kind of pressure and strain. Very inspiring. I hope she's ok after all that

[ton_fall]

It only costs $1 BUT it costs actually a more than that. She quit here full-time job, she did a lot of the renovation herself, she lived in a van…she WORKED FOR IT! ❤ You DESERVE IT! Well done!

[nickie]

Good for her! I bet when she finally moved into the house (even if it was the kitchen), or when the lights turned on for the first time it felt amazing. One thing is I'm surprised the time limit was only a year, that's kind of insane given she basically just owned the shell of a building and people who would apply to programs like this don't have the bankroll to just hire contractors to do 100% of the work. 3-5 years would seem more reasonable to me if someone is doing it DIY.

[AndromedaCripps]

I feel like the coolest thing about this neighborhood will be that everyone there has gone through a similar lot of renovating their homes, even if they hit contractors everyone has a common purpose and love for their individual homes that they restored. Kinda cool for community ✨

[AlbieSol]

Amazed to see this video! Myself and family lived in that house for eight years from 1990 until we sold it. It was actually in a good state then. Community spirit eroded in the area so we moved on. It was, like all the street eventually boarded up and left to deteriorate over the years. Great to see it looking fabulous now!

[jonahdave]

I knew people who were forced out of these homes. They were really angry about it. The UK government did this all over the country and it was a completely exercise.
They were lovely homes and a lot of them were well kept. Once they were empty the local delinquents broke in and stole everything they could for scrap. They stole the lead off the roofs, the copper pipes, the wiring and anything else they could.
I drove past loads of these over the years which had been left with gaping holes in the roofs.
Instead of building new houses on greenbelt land they should be renovating all the houses they left to decay.

[VincennamonLe]

The fact that she had to sell an inherited property in order to renovate this shows that this scheme doesnt really help all that much. Very few people are going to have that kind of money on tap.

Ok, so I didn't think I'd have to add context but it seems like I must. I didn't say it doesn't help at all, I said it doesn't help that much. Statistically, it is unlikely that the average individual has anything close to the amount needed to renovate. I understand that houses in the UK are expensive and this is a cheaper way but that doesn't make it fully achievable to most, still. Yes you can take out a loan but with interest rates at an all time high, how is that plausible? Take into consideration that the average individual isn't going to be financially literate, most are already in heavy debt or carrying a significant amount of debt, stretching to the limit in that they may be able to afford it in the short term but will undoubtedly be torn apart at the first unexpected repair bill.

My own opinion here but I see this as a monopoly happening once again. Sure, the first time buyer clause will prevent existing landlords from purchasing but their kids or grandkids can own the home under their name but ultimately it was parents or grandparents of X that really bought the property. Dealings under the table are something that cannot be captured and so only the lucky few and the rich will have access to this. It doesn't solve the housing issue and furthermore, pushes out the less fortunate and expanding the already large landscape afforded to those lucky or "well off".

Not looking to offend, just speaking out loud. 🙂

[Jameson]

I’m always impressed by people who take on and successfully complete major home renovations when they had no experience prior to that! I would be so terrified I would do something wrong and have the roof crashing down on me. Kudos to her and her gorgeous home!

[NoahNobody]

She got real lucky with friends willing to help her out. It sounds like she had no budget for labour. Also shows just how valuable good DIY skills are.

[abhitoshghongade]

Beautiful story of a young woman and kudos to the guys who showed up for help. House is made of brick but its friends and families who make it a home :)

[RenRenRan]

Am I the only one who got super emotional when she said a bunch of friends and strangers came over to help her renovate the house?!? I literally cried out in pain and started sobbing, that is so touching and I'm so happy for her!! ❤

[angusli]

Really like the floor plan of this house. It is actually very similar to some bespoke design houses in Japan --- bedroom on ground floor and living/dining room on upper floors. Since bedroom is for sleeping and can be a little bit darker, while living room should capture more natural light, hence it will be better to have it on upper floors.

[Sjalabais]

What an amazing woman. Well deserved going the full route! One has to question the city planners, though. Setting a 12 month limit for a property that is barely standing reflects a complete lack of understanding of how much work is needed, and how the marked works. Ever asked for a plumber to do some work? They'll be 10 weeks late on a 1 week project. Always.

[selfridgesforever]

I was living in Liverpool for university when this scheme was around. Unfortunately students couldn’t apply but it looked amazing! Good for her, glad locals got the opportunity. Better than houses sitting there empty!