Cheap St Ives house costs just $68k – but it comes with a mineshaft

The Cornwall cottage may look picturesque, but it comes with a mineshaft in the front yard. 

A UK house in a prime tourist location is on the market for less than it sold for in 1996, nearly thirty years ago. 

On the market for £35,000 – equivalent to $68,500 in Australian dollars – the property looks like a lovely four-bedroom family home. 

But the house may not be standing for much longer, thanks to a giant mineshaft that appeared in the driveway. 

Since the hole appeared last November, residents have had to live behind a tall security fence. 

“We have been informed that the property is unstable and therefore unable to view,” the listing states. 

The property, which will go to online auction next week through agents Clive Emerson, is described in the listing as needing “remedial work”. 

It is located in St Ives, Cornwall, which was a historic tin mining district in the mid-nineteenth century. 

With homes in the surrounding area selling for around £500,000, the bungalow’s £35,000 price tag is a fraction of what buyers would expect to pay. 

It represents a severe financial loss for the current owners, who bought the home in 2001 for £80,000, according to Rightmove data.