Beautiful abandoned mansions for sale right now

Designed to impress and delight, mansions come in all shapes and sizes, but while some are occupied and loved for centuries, others are forgotten and left to the sands of time. From sprawling historic homes to impressive new estates that were never quite finished, these abandoned mansions for sale are the ultimate fixer-uppers. Click or scroll on to take a look inside the grandest neglected homes on the market right now…

This dilapidated dream home in Little Rock, Arkansas, might be cheap, but the new owner will need deep pockets and plenty of patience, because it needs an abundance of repair work. From its rotting floors to its crumbling walls, The Woodruff House is crying out to be rescued.

The property was built between 1852 and 1853 by William Woodruff, the founder and first publisher of the Arkansas Gazette. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it’s one of the last remaining homes in Little Rock from this time period, making it extremely important from a local architectural point of view. The QQA bought the house in 2014, saving it from demolition and undertaking works to stabilise and secure the building for future rehabilitation.

Spanning 7,000 square feet across three floors, the historic home is undeniably impressive. There’s a grand entrance hall, dual parlour rooms, and enough space for a dining room, library, home office, numerous bedrooms and bathrooms. There’s currently no kitchen that we know of, and it’s likely the plumbing and electrics will need to be redone. However, everywhere you look you’ll spot amazing period features that would be well worth saving, from fireplaces to ornate columns and hardwood floors.

There’s also a sizeable half-acre garden and a lovely front porch. Plus, thanks to its location inside an Opportunity Zone, the new buyer will be eligible for tax credits when undertaking a renovation. Listed with LoopNet and The QQA for a mere £231,400 ($275k), this crumbling mansion could be well within your reach. Are you brave enough to take on the task?

Offering plenty of kerb appeal and ample square footage for an almost unbelievably low sum, this affordable historic home is one that’s sure to get snapped up quickly. Listed with Century 21 for just £271,120 ($310k), the deserted mansion was built in 1872 and lies on a prominent street in the heart of Richmond, Kentucky.

The beautiful brick home has an equally lovely interior, although it’s in need of some work. Head up the home’s front steps and across its stately porch and you’ll find yourself inside a huge and light-filled entrance hall, decorated with an impressively high ceiling, large doorways and a pretty timber staircase. From here, you can meander through to various oversized living rooms, which could be transformed into a lounge, dining room and home office.

The house extends 6,483 square feet across three floors and currently has six bedrooms and five bathrooms. Every single room not only provides endless space, but striking period details, too. From hardwood floors to Victorian fireplaces, tall and arched glass windows with pretty shutters, delicate cornicing and lovely brick walls, there is no end to the beautiful features worth rescuing.

Known as the Mary Turner Hood house, we assume after a former owner, the Italianate property has already received some renovations, including a new roof and guttering, repair works to the exterior bricks, new foundation piers and concrete floors in the basement. However there’s currently no plumbing, fixtures or electrics. On a plus note, the house isn’t inside a historic district nor is it listed on a historic register, so no historic renovation restrictions will apply.

Offering a large garden and abundant living spaces waiting to be brought back to life, this regal Victorian residence is almost too good to be true. Available via Compass for a mere £378,000 ($450k), it’s also extremely well priced considering its size and potential. Let’s take a look inside…

The characterful American home is located in the city of Columbus, Ohio, and was built in 1900. Currently arranged as four separate dwellings, the property could easily be split into sellable private units, or returned back to a grand single-family home. The interior sprawls 5,370 square feet across three floors and it’s easy to imagine how breathtaking the property was in its heyday – and how amazing it could be again, with a little imagination and a cash injection.

Inside, there are endless living spaces, 11 bedrooms and nine bathrooms, all overflowing with wow-factor period details. These include brick fireplaces, vaulted and beamed ceilings and stone floors. Obviously, the interior spaces need a lot of work and all of the rooms are currently not in a liveable state, with exposed stud walls and crumbling plasterwork.

However, some of the hard work has already been done for the new owner. For instance, the property recently received a brand-new roof and exterior stucco, while many improvements have already been made inside, including new floor joists, windows and doors. The concrete floor in the home’s basement has also been restored. If you think you have the imagination and the patience to take on this fixer-upper, then your dream home awaits…

Sandwiched between Nantes and the ocean, this majestic French estate dates back to the 17th century and sits in the middle of more than 12 acres of parkland. With exquisite historic architecture and no end of space to play with, the abandoned castle is a seriously enticing real estate opportunity. For sale with Patrice Besse for €595,000, that’s around £522,700 ($598k), it’s also an affordable option, but the new owner will need to put in some hard graft to bring the colossal crib up to scratch.

The house can be found behind a wrought iron gate, protected by high stone walls. The building itself is laid out around a vast paved courtyard with a semi-circular moat. Once inside the estate’s walls, the home’s impressive 4,779-square-foot stature becomes clear. The prominent property has a rich history and was once the stronghold on the border between the provinces of Poitou and Brittany, protecting locals from potential attacks.

Listed as a Historic Monument, the fairytale castle has been remodelled several times over the decades, but following years of neglect, it now requires substantial restoration work. It’s unclear why the mysterious abandoned home was left vacant, but it isn’t hard to see its potential. There’s a bright entrance foyer, two kitchens, a living room, dining room, lounge, library, eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms, decorated with fireplaces, parquet floors, generous ceilings and exposed beams.

Other highlights include the home’s three cellars, the old pavilion, the bakery with two bread ovens, and the stable block paved with striated stones and equipped with a fodder loft. The 12-acre grounds also benefit from formal gardens, meadows and fields, allowing for unobstructed views. There’s even a 15th-century chapel and an old farmhouse, both of which are waiting to be restored or converted into additional living spaces. Now that asking price is sounding even better, isn’t it?

Highlighting that you don’t always need a huge budget to buy a seriously amazing home, this 19th-century chateau in the Liège region of Belgium is available via Patrice Besse for €650,000, which equates to just £570,200 ($654k).

The house dates back to 1890 and was designed by illustrious architect, Charles Thirion, who’s known for his work on elegant public buildings, such as the stunning central train station and the Grand Théâtre, both in the town of Verviers. This property certainly highlights Thirion’s knack for creating imposing buildings. As well as a dramatic façade, the home’s interior has plenty of character, too.

The 12,109-square-foot home is laid out across three floors and every room is kitted out with gorgeous original features. These include high, decorative ceilings, corner fireplaces, sash windows, carved timber doors and cast iron radiators.

The home’s sprawling, near five-acre garden also boasts a separate annexe house that’s ready to be redesigned, as well as a private parkland filled with mature trees. Though the property clearly needs a lot of work and is currently suffering from damp and decay, we’re sure that with the right amount of love it could be brought back to its former glory. If you’re up to the task, then what are you waiting for?

If you’re seeking an impressive fixer-upper in Bavaria, Germany, then this historic townhouse could well be for you. On the market with Engel & Völkers for a very reasonable £744,300 ($854k), that’s €849,000 in the local currency, the stately home has so much potential.

For starters, it lies in the heart of Passau, Rotthalmünster, and occupies a prominent plot that makes it hard to ignore. Inside there’s 5,000 square feet of space, spread across three floors and, despite needing a little bit of modernising, it’s entirely move-in ready.

With a generous layout, 14 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and two main living spaces, the property is very versatile in terms of uses. The new owner could transform it into a single-family home, develop it into a hotel or even create multiple units inside that could be sold off or leased out, depending on planning restrictions, that is.

The detached house is considered to be in very good condition and benefits from central heating, tiled floors, a gorgeous wood staircase, vintage light fixtures and huge sash windows that flood the interior with natural light. You wouldn’t need a lot of money or imagination to bring this home back to life.

If you’re house-hunting in Hudson, New York, then your search could be over. Known as the Dr John C. Dubois House, this majestic mansion has history, style and space in abundance. For starters, it’s positioned on one of Hudson’s most glamorous tree-lined streets and has so much kerb appeal it’s sure to make your neighbours green with envy. Plus, it’s up for grabs with Stone House Properties for a fairly reasonable £1.1 million ($1.3m).

An architectural gem, the property was built for the local doctor’s family in around 1880 and now lies at the heart of the Hudson Historic District. The 6,200-square-foot residence has been chopped and changed a lot over the years, including numerous extensions. Thankfully though, the previous owner began returning the house to its original splendour and has left it in a good state for the buyer.

Core restorative works have already been undertaken, which should make finishing the job slightly easier. The timber staircase has been restored, the home’s hardwood floors repaired and original stained-glass windows fixed – they just need to be installed. However, clearly quite a lot still needs to be done. Inside, there are six bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms and endless living spaces, spread across three floors.

Original features include the home’s huge arched windows, etched glass apertures, fireplaces, brick exposures, parquet floors and exquisite turquoise turret that decorates the façade. The third floor provides panoramic views of Mount Merino and the Catskills, while the quarter-acre private garden has plenty of space for a swimming pool. There’s even a huge basement that needs to be finished. What’s more, the house lies in an opportunity zone, meaning the buyer will be eligible for federal and local tax credits.

If you’d rather buy in France, then how about this mesmerising 19th-century château? Positioned in Saintonge, the property is located between Saint-Jean-d’Angély and Cognac, a region rich in both vineyards and history, making it the ideal place to create an enticing bed and breakfast.

Up close, you can really take in the grandeur of this historic home, which can be accessed via a long, tree-lined driveway. The château is sited on almost 72 acres of land and the main residence covers 3,767 square feet. With its impressive exterior, decorated with a hipped slate roof, freestone limestone blocks and oversized French windows, the manor was clearly designed to wow.

Inside, there’s an entrance hall with a stone floor, a living room with a veined marble fireplace and intricate moulded ceiling, an oak-panelled library and a kitchen. A stone staircase with wrought iron bannisters leads up to five bedrooms, one of which has an ensuite and another, an elevator. There’s also an attic and a secret room known as ‘The Caves’, which was once the old boiler room. The space is said to have a concealed entrance that only the new owner will know about…

There’s also 8,072 square feet of outbuildings, including a small, three-bedroom house that was once the old laundry room, a farmhouse that’s been divided into a dwelling, barn and garage, as well as two adjoining buildings and a former barn, so there’s endless space to play with. If you’ve got €1.6 million, or £1.4 million ($1.6m), then this remote luxury home could soon be yours. If you’re keen to snap it up, then Patrice Besse has all the information you need.

Nestled amongst the undergrowth in the quaint town of Lecce, in Italy’s Puglia region, lies something of a hidden treasure. The ornate stained-glass windows and arched doorway peeking out from the trees are the first understated glimpse of the grandeur of this 18th-century palace, which is on the market for just under £1.4 million ($1.7m), or €1.7 million, with Patrice Besse.

From one of the terraces, you can glean the scale of the overgrown estate. There’s over 7,500 square feet of land surrounding the palazzo, though the grounds have largely been reclaimed by Mother Nature. However, the interior spaces have been impressively preserved, frozen in time from when they were last occupied.

The palace offers a total of 15 bedrooms, plus an array of incredible living spaces steeped in history. Stepping through the front door is like entering a time capsule: this remarkable kitchen with its bold black and white motifs looks like it’s been virtually untouched, with old-fashioned metal saucepans still poised on the stove.

One of 30 rooms across the palazzo, this sitting room is one of the residence’s most exceptional spaces. From the decorative vaulted ceiling to the damask-print walls and gilded mirrors, the historic features have been impeccably preserved over the decades. We can’t wait to see new life breathed into this remarkable estate.

This impressive abandoned mansion is located on the edge of New Forest National Park in Southampton, England. Positioned on an idyllic four-acre plot, surrounded by rolling fields Tatchbury Manor is crying out to be rescued.

According to the listing, the empty estate likely dates back to the early 19th century, although a small central part of the building could be a Tudor hunting lodge. An extension was added in the 1980s, at which time Tatchbury Manor was a nursing home. However now it’s ready to turn the page on a new chapter. Inside, there’s a huge entrance foyer that opens to a stunning double-height living room with a soaring ceiling, ample windows and exposed brick walls.

Sadly we don’t know the exact measurements of the building, but it’s clear it’s sprawling. There are a total of 20 bedrooms and that’s just for starters. There are endless living spaces that would be fantastic for relaxing and entertaining, plus every single one is overflowing with amazing architectural features – just look at that stunning barrel ceiling.

An exciting opportunity for the right buyer, the property already has planning permission to be converted into eight apartments and two dwellings, but the buyer could easily submit a new application to transform the manor back into an amazing family home. Rundown but full of promise, this abandoned home could be yours for £1.8 million ($2.1m), via Pearsons Southern Limited.

Loved this? Take a tour of more amazing abandoned homes