Cosy seafront chalet hits market in Norfolk for just £10,000 - but can you spot the catch?

Daily Mail​

16-07-2025

With three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open plan living/dining space and, most importantly, unforgettable sea views, this property is a snap at just £10,000.
Not far from the serene spot are a 'well-stocked supermarket, convenience stores, cafes, pubs and traditional fish and chip shops', according to the estate agent's brochure.
Indeed, properties in the area are hard to come by as they rarely come up for sale.
But there's a catch – it sits on the edge of a precipice in a part of the country notorious for dramatic coastal erosion.
Just 20 years ago, the detached chalet was around 100 yards from the sea, according to neighbours.
But the sandy coastline, combined with buffeting waves and adverse weather, have left it teetering on the edge of oblivion.
Despite its limited lifespan, it has already been sold, subject to contract, after someone swooped in and presumably met the request for 'offers in excess of £10,000' - quite possible given there were 96 enquiries and 28 viewings before the sale was agreed.
The sellers, who live in a different part of the country and are understood to have rented the property to holidaymakers for the past five years, didn't want to discuss parting with the chalet, which they have owned for over 20 years.
But next-door neighbour Carol Boyes, a 79-year-old retired nurse, insisted whoever bought would bag a bargain.
'There were two sets of chalets in front of mine when I moved here in 2004 and the sea was at quite a distance,' she said.
'You had to walk over the dunes to get to it around 100 yards away. There's quite a lot of sand and dunes that have gone down [since then].
'But it is peaceful and tranquil and you've got the beach right here – that's what I love about it. The views are gorgeous and people are very loyal to Hemsby.'
She added: 'Next door is a lovely place. Inside has been well looked after and it's got a log burner.
'I don't think they're [whoever buys it] wasting their money. If you get three years out of it, or longer, then it's better than nothing.'
Another local, Simon Measures – who is also chairman of pressure group Save Hemsby Coastline - added: 'I'm very pleased for the owner of the property. They've managed to sell it and the potential buyers have bought it on the understanding that it's potentially just a holiday let for a very short period of time.
'As long as they're happy, it's not their main residence and they haven't sunk all their money into it, it's a great place to be.'
The sale would also give 'hope' to locals who wanted to get something out of their beloved homes to sink into an investment in another property before they were lost to the waves forever, he added.
'It does give some hope to residents who live here that there is some equity but it is easier to sell as a holiday home, rather than a main home,' he said.
The timber-framed white chalet, which sits on a wrap-around plot and was built around 100 years ago, was marketed for 'cash buyers only' by Caister-on-Sea estate agents Minors & Brady.
Its brochure states the property is 'on the coastal cliffs of Hemsby' and has 'panoramic views of the scenic beach' which overlooks the North Sea.
The 'bright' open-plan sitting/dining room 'invites relaxation and entertaining' and leads to a kitchen 'fitted with a range of wall and base cabinetry, providing ample storage space, with thoughtfully designed areas for you to install your own range of appliances', while the master bedroom has a 'private en suite'.
Outside is a 'decked terrace, where you can savour the spectacular sea views – a space equally suited to summer BBQs, al fresco dining or simply relaxing in the afternoon sunshine'.
The chalet is on The Marrams, a notorious road where one determined resident has saved his home on two occasions by dragging it back from the brink using heavy machinery.
Speaking last year after he revealed he was considering a third rescue plan involving a 'military-grade operation' to airlift his beloved beachfront home from the crumbling cliff face, former Grenadier guardsman Lance Martin explained: 'It is my home, my life.'
Mr Martin bought his house, Dune Fall, for £95,000 in 2017 after a surveyor told him it would be safe for decades, with only 3ft of land expected to be lost to the elements each year.
But it has receded far faster, with a particular pounding in 2018 from the Beast from the East storm, which saw 100ft of coastline lost and meant seven homes had to be demolished for safety reasons.
Another cliff fall in November 2023 led to five more homes being razed to the ground after a 300ft section collapsed.
Locals in the village, which has 3,000 residents, complained at the time that they had been abandoned by the Government after it scrapped a sea wall defence scheme.
The cost was estimated to have soared from £15 million to £20 million because of inflation and an alternative short-term solution of installing rocks to break up the impact of the waves was criticised as insufficient.
Another local, who asked not to be named, told the Mail: 'There's a here today, gone tomorrow feel about the place. It's beautiful but you know it's not going to last.'
Minors and Brady manager Dan Overy said: 'We're very happy to be able to secure a buyer for the vendor.'