Property sleuth Linda Williams says unusual hobby of hunting for empty homes had proved lucrative enough to help pay for a £700 dream trip
Super property sleuth Linda Williams took herself on a swish Norwegian cruise that was paid for simply by keeping her eyes open.
A solo traveller and a cruise ship regular, her unusual hobby of hunting for empty homes had proved lucrative enough to pay for the bulk of her £700 dream trip.
Gazing out across the majestic Norwegian fjords from the deck of the MSC Virtuosa, 62-year-old grandmother Linda, who runs a gift and card shop in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, could not have been happier.
Boarding the cruise ship in Southampton, she had cruised to South Queensferry (Edinburgh) then on to Stavanger, Hausgesund and Kristiansand, historic towns with Viking heritage and spectacular scenery.
She had danced in a class led by Strictly Star Shirley Ballas, luxuriated in the ship’s many pools and jacuzzis, all while enjoying the cruise ship’s fine dining.
But the best part of it all, was that it was part funded by one of her favourite pastimes.
As a passionate walker, Linda varies her 20,000 daily steps, ensuring a different route each time, in the hope of spotting an empty property she can report.
Linda is part of a network of amateur sleuths helping to bring abandoned properties back into use and now one of the army of Daily Star Sherlock Homes detectives.
The property that Linda reported in Haydock, near St Helens, had been abandoned by its owners, who had inherited it, but lengthy probate complications had left it standing empty for years.
It took just seven weeks for Empty Property Hunters to negotiate a deal, and purchase the property for around £50,000.
The sale earned Linda £420, made up of a £20 referral fee and a further £400 share of the sale proceeds.
“It was so rewarding to know the house is finally going to be lived in again. she said. Seeing it fall to such disrepair seems such a waste.”
Linda says, “I’ve always worked hard and never been the kind of person that wins anything.
Being paid £400 just like that was a rare windfall.
“I usually have to save my money for trips like this, but it takes me time. It was absolutely fantastic to be able to take off so spontaneously to somewhere I’ve always wanted to go.
Hunting down empty properties and finding out their story is something that has real appeal for self confessed nosy neighbour Linda.
“I’m more than happy knocking on neighbours' doors to ask if a nearby property is empty and to explain what I’m looking for and why.
“The tip off about the Haydock house came from a stranger standing at a bus stop who I got chatting to.
“And if I’m off on a trip, wherever I am, I’ll be on the lookout. I recently submitted a property in Carlisle, I’m hopeful about.”
The Star’s army of Sherlock Homes identify a potential empty property, they photograph it and pass the details to Empty Property Hunters, which traces owners of long-neglected homes and seeks to acquire properties whose owners are willing to sell.
The houses are then typically renovated and returned to use, often transforming eyesores into family homes once again.
For hunters, there is the financial incentive.
A successful lead earns an initial payment of £20, while those that result in a sale can generate a much larger reward, with scouts typically receiving around one per cent of the final purchase price.
Getting to the bottom of whether a property is a genuine contender for resale is part of the skill required to be a successful hunter.
Linda explains, “I have to use my judgement on whether a property is worth submitting. I recently chose not to report one that was already being sold privately by the family, it was obviously not worth proceeding with.”
“And a simple tip off gets me £20, might not seem a huge amount, but we all like a little bit extra, don’t we?
“I mean, my kids all laugh and say busy old mother, wow, you’ve earned £20!
“But I say, if you walk past £20 in the street, you would pick it up and it’s only for literally walking past the property, taking a pic and sending it off. So, you know, what’s not to like about that?”
Linda’s unusual sideline highlights a much larger problem facing Britain.
According to Empty Property Hunters, more than one million residential properties across England are currently sitting empty, including around 265,000 that have been unoccupied for at least six months.
Most are left empty due to bereavement, probate delays, family disputes, or the owners moving overseas.
The figures are particularly striking given the country's ongoing housing crisis. While ministers have repeatedly pledged to deliver 300,000 new homes a year, only around 200,000 were completed last year.
To put the scale of the issue into perspective, if England’s empty homes were lined up in a single row, they would stretch all the way from Land’s End to John O’Groats — and halfwa back again.
At the same time, an estimated 382,000 people in England are without a home, prompting campaigners and property specialists to argue that bringing vacant properties back into use could play a key role in easing the housing shortage.
Empty Property Hunters says its aim is to identify neglected homes, track down owners and help return thousands of properties to the market for families in need of housing.
And Linda’s advice to anyone considering becoming an empty property scout?
“Give it a go! I mean, there’s nothing lost at all by signing up to being a hunter and sending in any empty property suggestions. “And you could gain a little bit extra and even more if they go on to buy the property!
Linda is keen to keep on hunting for new empty properties.
“I’ll keep hunting and see what else I come across; she says.”You never know when you’ll spot
another empty property whose owner might be willing to sell.”
“It’s a nice little sideline, and I for one am not going to stop hunting any time soon!”
HOW IT WORKS
To report and empty residential property, just scan the QR code here on your phone, go to the
dedicated Daily Star/Empty Property Hunters web page and follow the simple instructions. Or
go to https://www.emptypropertyhunters.co.uk/dailystar Happy hunting!