Sunday, March 6, 2011

Inside the home Kate Moss can't sell

By SIOBHAN MCFADYEN

Superstitious: Kate Moss believes her house is jinxed following a series of mishaps


It is the house that Kate Moss considers jinxed, after a series of mishaps that culminated in a £100,000 flood.

And now the supermodel is finding it near impossible to sell her sprawling London mansion – even at a £1 million loss.

She has slashed the asking price on the five-bedroom property to £7 million after receiving little interest from would-be buyers, but has still received no offers.

Kate, 37, has her eye on a lavish new home in Highgate, North London, which she wants to move into before her wedding to Jamie Hince, guitarist of The Kills, this summer. But her inability to shift the Maida Vale mansion is making that look increasingly unlikely.

The model has revamped the house in her own distinctive style since she bought it for £8 million in 2007, and it now boasts such features as a neon-lit party area and a jungle-themed living room, which might deter the more conservative buyer.

But a source close to upmarket estate agent Marcus Parfitt said that the problem might simply be that the Victorian house is not in a fashionable postcode.


Coming clean: An en-suite bathroom at the mansion in St John's Wood. But buyers could be put off because its location is not 'fashionable' enough


‘There have been no offers as yet,’ he said. ‘The problem with this one is that you’re not in one of the chosen roads in the area.

‘It’s a little bit on the periphery and from a snobbery point of view some people have not gone for it because it’s in the wrong district. As a house goes, though, it’s lovely. If it were a few streets away, it would be much more expensive.’

Kate – who bought the home following her split from Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty – has not had much luck with it.


Unconventional: Kate's open-plan dining area, with neon artwork in the background


Last year, the cursed property was flooded with sewage, causing damage that was estimated at £100,000 to furniture, her shoe collection and photographs by Mario Testino. But possibly even more desperate for a sale than Kate herself are her long-suffering neighbours, who have frequently complained about her party lifestyle.

They first began calling police and the local council over her alleged anti-social behaviour in 2007 – and have continued to complain ever since. Two years ago, police were called to her medieval-themed birthday party twice on the same night.

One source blamed neighbours for her difficulty in selling the property now, claiming: ‘Those who have expressed an interest have been put off because the neighbouring property is undergoing renovation works.


Marital home: Kate has her eye on a lavish new home which she wants to move into before her wedding to Jamie Hince this summer


‘Kate can’t wait to move. She hopes that someone will buy it so she that can finally move into the home she loves.

‘She wants to move to Highgate and have all of the renovation work done before the wedding.

‘She had hoped to swap contracts before now. She’s not had the best of times in this home and doesn’t get on well with her neighbours, so the idea of a fresh start, especially now she’s engaged, was appealing.

‘Unfortunately she’s not managed to create that much interest.’


Wild side: The supermodel's rock chick tastes are evident in the leopard-print furnishings and faux elephant-tusk table in the lounge


The decor in the house gives a glimpse into the model’s wilder side, with unusual leopard-print furnishings, complete with faux elephant-tusk coffee table, a two-person Jacuzzi and a well-stocked bar.

Artwork includes a picture of a man smoking what appears to be a cannabis joint. The home also includes a gym, a piped music system, large walled garden, a network of closed-circuit security cameras – and a terrace that has hosted some of Kate’s parties.

The house that Kate is hoping to move into in Highgate has nine bedrooms, plus two wine cellars and also staff accommodation. On the market for £8 million, it was once the home of the Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

When she relocates, Kate will be near to her friends Jude Law and Sienna Miller, who are said to have ‘talked up the area’ to encourage the model to move.


source: dailymail

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