Apartment in Birmingham’s famous Rotunda heads attractive list of city properties in auction

We’ve all seen it on Birmingham’s horizon, but can you imagine living in a luxury apartment in the city’s renowned cylindrical tower?

That will be the temptation for bidders when they see the details for Apartment 400 in The Rotunda which is appearing at the next Bond Wolfe Auctions live-streamed auction on Wednesday 31 March.

The leasehold on this two-bedroomed apartment, which sits in the 265 ft tower at the end of New Street in Birmingham city centre, has an attractive guide price of £210,000+.

The property has been recently refurbished to an extremely high standard and has triple glazing, electric heating, an extraction system and intercom with concierge services.

Inside there is an open plan reception room and kitchen, complete with all fixtures, fittings and furniture, and one bedroom with an ensuite shower room and toilet, while the other has a Jack and Jill bathroom and toilet with shower.

Gurpreet Bassi, chief executive of Bond Wolfe Auctions, said: “There aren’t many properties across the UK with a more prominent address than The Rotunda, a building which has become synonymous with the second city.

“This would make an idea purchase for a young professional couple, or for a landlord who wants to be able to offer luxury in such a special location.”

The property is just one of a number of high-profile Birmingham lots in the latest Bond Wolfe Auctions sale.

Another is a row of nine Grade II-listed Georgian town houses at 30 to 46 Hamstead Road, Hockley that were once owned by the son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel.

Seven of the houses, which date back to 1795, are listed with guide prices of £295,000+ while two are listed at £285,000+, but pre-auction offers are invited for all nine as a single lot with a total guide price of £2.635 million.

Seven of the three-storey properties are vacant, while the two at 40 and 44 Hamstead Road are fully let, each generating gross rental incomes of £49,000 per annum.

Mr Bassi said: “These houses are believed to be the oldest remaining terrace of Georgian properties in the Midlands.

“They have been awarded two certificates by Historic England, and once owned by the son of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, Arthur Wellesley Peel, Speaker of the House of Commons and godson to the Duke of Wellington.

“These properties still contain many of the original features are in good order throughout and – singly or together – provide an ideal opportunity for both portfolio investors and owner occupiers alike.

“They present a unique opportunity and we are expecting a high level of interest from bidders across the UK and from overseas.”

Also in Hockley, a more modest two-bedroomed ground floor maisonette at 4 Hunters Vale is listed with a guide price of just £70,000+, while at 230 Albert Road in nearby Aston, a three-bedroom mid-terraced house has a guide price of £69,000-£74,000.

Other bargains are available in the south of the city, with a two-bedroomed, semi-detached house at 168 Reservoir Road in Selly Oak appearing with a guide price of £74,000-£79,000 – although this needs modernisation.

In the cosmopolitan suburb of Kings Heath, a two-bedroomed, mid-terraced house at 22 Poplar Avenue has an extremely attractive guide price of just £50,000+.

This property is double-fronted with a back garden, central heating and double glazing, but again needs modernisation.

At the other end of the scale, a traditional four-bedroomed, three-storey, mid terraced property at 99 Alexander Road, in Acocks Green, has a guide price of £225,000+.

With gardens front and rear, this property offers two reception rooms, a kitchen, utility room and bathroom downstairs, two double bedrooms, a single bedroom and shower room with toilet on the first floor, and another double bedroom on the second floor.

In nearby Shirley, a three-bedroomed, semi-detached house at 136 Stroud Road is another property with a low guide price of just £85,000+ because of the need for modernisation.

Another property needing improvement works throughout is a three-bedroomed, detached house at 6 The Rise in Great Barr, which has a low guide price of £59,000-£64,000.

A more unusual fixer-upper is a three-bedroomed detached house at 77 Coney Green Drive in the historic and unique Austin Village in Birmingham, an estate originally built in 1917 to provide homes for Longbridge car workers.

This property, with a guide price of £195,000+, has gardens front and rear, a side garage and driveway parking, central heating and partial double glazing – but it does need improvement and fittings throughout.

Mr Bassi said: “As our auctions have grown in size, so they have grown in the sheer range of properties we are able to offer for sale.

“While some are in need of renovation, they have low guide prices that make them attractive to first-time buyers with DIY skills or landlords looking to increase their portfolios.

“Many others are in a good state of repair and simply need a new family to stamp their personality on them.”

The Birmingham homes are among 226 lots listed for Bond Wolfe Auction’s online auction which starts at 8.30am on Wednesday 31 March.

There are lots from across the UK covering everywhere from Cornwall to Northumberland and with guide prices ranging from £nil to £850,000.

The auction will be livestreamed via Bond Wolfe Auctions’ website with remote bidding by proxy, telephone or internet only.

More details are at www.bondwolfeauctions.com, or email [email protected], or call 0121 312 1212.