What might be the reason for this house price oddness?

[Deleted User]

There's a house I intend to view, if it's still on the market next month when I'm ready, but looking on Zoopla it has a strange sale history. Can anyone guess why? (It's not a riddle, BTW, I don't know the answer).

So in 2007 it sold for £347k. In 2016, it sold for £348k. So far so good, but in 2021 it sold for £200k. Now I'm guessing this was the result of a divorce buyout, valuing the house at £400k, but then, six months later, it sold for £215k. That's the one I can't fathom. If on party bought half the house from the other, then sold it, wouldn't the latter sale price be the full one?

It's now on at £440k, which is about £50k below Zoopla's average estimate and less than I would expect for a similar house in that area. If it matters, it's freehold semi, in the Lakes.

user1977

Whatever the 2021 prices are about, they seem very unlikely to be arm's-length sales on the open market (if you even think a price achieved in 2021 would be relevant now). I think you can safely ignore them.

MikeJXE

In 2021 sold for £200 

It could have been bought by a new partner 

6 months later one partner buys the other out for £215

The later sale price is the one it’s up for sale for 

[Deleted User]

Sounds like someone has a turbulent personal life. If it's still on the market next month I'll try and find out. If I can't, then I'll probably leave it.

i_like_cats

On the subject, this London council flat sale history made me do a double take recently.  

If the figures are correct, all I can think of is someone bought it for a steal under Right to Buy then made a killing:

[Deleted User]

I've seen a couple like that, although no so extreme. Must have been a real dump. Unless someone bought a whole building to fix up and it was somehow priced pro-rata.