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I've always loved this guy's apartment in the UK - wish I could do a basement reno to look the same! (My family has vetoed that idea ). Seems he's losing the flat to his ex-wife who is going to sell it and wants it all dismantled... EDIT: Apparently he sold it on eBay and got 5x market rate for it! http://www.metro.co.uk/news/49211-star- ... ld-on-ebay Anyhow, check out the pics of his amazing apartment. http://www.digitaltrends.com/lifestyle/ ... apartment/

That appartment is on my wish list.

I'm glad it sold as is and the poor guy didn't have to dismantle it.

He didn't really sell the appartment on ebay. For one thing, it's not his to sell and it's not possible to sell real esatate on ebay, only advertise it for sale.

In most countries, there are complex laws governing real estate transactions so ebay have made it so that it's real estate listings are for information only and do not constitute a binding contract.

Absolutely amazing that is. He could get a job as a set designer.

blueshift , here is another article - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-le ... e-16772477 In it it says, "I try not to think about it as the dismantling of the apartment is scheduled for August time if we don't find a buyer." The apartment was put for sale in 2004 as well. It seems to me like Georgina was being flexible with Tony and knows that selling it as is would fetch a higher price than selling it as a conventional apartment. The deadline for sale was August, after which Tony would have to dismantle it and it would be sold as a conventional apartment.

As for eBay, I'm sure that proper real estate law in the UK would be applied upon a successful bid and it would involve agents and/or lawyers for completing the sale. eBay was simply the platform for getting attention and drumming up the largest bid possible.

Point is that selling a property on ebay and getting 5 x market value doesn't necessarily mean anything.

It's an amazing appartment. Looks like so much attention to detail.

Sure it does - Tony and his ex-wife Georgina scored 5 x the market rate for the flat because it was all Trekked out. Using eBay was extremely smart for drumming up bids - more so than trying to post such a niche flat in the local paper or something! So far there aren't any articles saying that the sale didn't go through, or that the sale price didn't remain what was bid on eBay by that UK billionaire who won the bid.

Sure they did.

That's good if you can get 5x more on eBay. Appartment price is rising and people are avoiding to buy even.

Well, you will notice this guy 'sold' his appartment several years ago, but is still trying to sell it.

Maybe the appartment fell into a time warp and history is repeating itself.

Maybe the buyer was from another planet and wants to pay in alien currency which is difficult to exchange.

He's still trying to sell? Do you have a link to an article where you got your information?

There is a site which has this information, it's called google, maybe you've heard of it.



Lets just say that you and I live in different worlds. In my world, this guy is a publicity hound concocting semi accurate stories to promote his flegling interior design business and property development venture.

So, basically you can't provide your source of info. We'll just have to take your word for it?

I think we do live in different worlds

Interesting use of the word 'we'll', to mean you and ...(crickets chirping).

I think every body else on this thread has realised that his story is quite far fetched.

More posts, but you still can't provide a link to the info that informed you that the apartment is still for sale or that all of this story is a far-fetched.

I see you have stopped refering to the believers of your version of the story in plural. Wise move on your part.

Anyway, if you use google, you'll see that this person and his appartment have a bit of history. He managed to get himself in a movie, Trekkies 2, 'selling' his appartment for 2 million pounds, then reportedly sold the appartment in 1997 for 5 times its market value on ebay.

Puhleeeeesssse!!! on ebay????? I can sell the Burj Kalifa on ebay for any amount you care to name. Just name it and I'll do it just to show you that it can be done, in case you doubt that it can be done. Try reading the fine print on ebay - 'All bids made in the Real Estate and eBay Motors vehicles categories are considered non-binding..' that's a quote from ebay. http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/non-binding-bid.html

I'm skeptical about the 'wife wants to demolish the appartment' angle.

Knowing the media as I do, the guy would have prepared his 'press kit' with pre-printed copy in the form of a story that was ready to print, the photos and so on, delivered a copy of the press kit to as many media outlets as he could find and waited a couple of days to become news. A far as newspapers are concerned, this kind of press kit is a god send as they have limited resources and someone has gone to the trouble of writing the story for them, they can just run it. There's no need for much in the way of due dilligence as there's little possibility of defamation. The just need his wife's permission to run the story and hey presto, instant news with no work on their part. I do know someone who submitted a press release to the media and made instant news. She managed to stir up quite a bit of controversy in the letters to the editor with her 'academic study on gender issues'.

Also the guy has his own web site where he is trying to generate business. Don't get me wrong, I admire this fellow for his inginuity in generating free publicity on this scale, but, for the people who take it on face value - you just don't get it.

non-bidding clause was added later, so it depends when the appartment was sold. But appartment is amazing and unique, so it is plausible it may sell 5 times higher than the market price. As the demolish angle, most people won't dwell over it. If that is true then it has an emotional side to the story, nothing more.

If you think apartment is fake, it is already in has enough publicity. I'm not sure how old is the apartment, but it is fake somebody will report it.

No no no, try reading a law text book (for just about anywhere). Contracts may be written or verbal or emailed or in some other form, except for realestate transactions which much be written to be recognized in a court of law.

Realestate on ebay has always been just an expression of interest. You never could enter into a binding contract to buy realestate on ebay.

Ok I checked the price, last time I ignored the price. £425,000 is not much. There are appartments selling for more than that in prime locations in London.



Here are few unusual homes sold for much more than that http://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrenn ... -for-sale/

"except for realestate transactions which much be written to be recognized in a court of law."
Blueshift: check up on the history of that clause, they added that later after running into some problem with real estate transactions. It was not their initially.

Well, why do you suppose he still lives in the appartment, after having 'sold it on ebay' in 1997?

Alien currency problems perhaps?

The bank won't accept Romulan talons or Klingon darseks to discharge the mortgate?

blueshift wrote:Well, why do you suppose he still lives in the appartment, after having 'sold it on ebay' in 1997?

Alien currency problems perhaps?

The bank won't accept Romulan talons or Klingon darseks to discharge the mortgate?

Damn it, why does this always happen when I drink my coffee with a white blouse on. I spilled my coffee all over, goodbye white blouse.



Thanks for the laugh, it happens too little these days on DF.

I'm glad somebody appreciates my posts. For the sake of accuracy I googled what currency they use in Romulan and Klingon.

Not sure he is still living in it. It was not sold in 1997, it was sold this year on 29-feb-2012. People in the following forum watching it after it came out in the news: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1623402

Probably the publicity in the media was a major factor in its sale; got the attention from the right buyer. But still it didn't get the price he was hoping for. It was listed for 700K GBP

No wonder the bidding didn't reach the 700k mark. The trekkies are all broke as they don't see the point in accumulating money. They are waiting for currency to become obsolete. Even the time travelling Kirk couldn't pay for the pizza with his diner date - she got stuck with the bill.

Don't know the date on that Metro article, but it says he was 54 years old. He must have had a few warp jumps and aged 4 years since that article cause he's 58 now.

Thanks for explaining Nucleus, apparently blueshift can't be bothered to read anything himself. He just likes to go by his own opinions.

mikehunt posts like a bloke... but wears blouses to work? Someone is having "fun" again.

kanelli wrote:mikehunt posts like a bloke... but wears blouses to work? Someone has lost too many brain cells to all of the chardonnay.

Just ignore him, he is special.

I'm sure he really did sell it in February when he was 54 and he aged 4-5 years since February. Some people would consider that a contradiction, but not you Kanelli. You must be quite the sci fi fan.

The age 54 is only in that one article, could be a typo. All the other news sources mention him has 58.

kanelli wrote:mikehunt posts like a bloke... but wears blouses to work? Someone has lost too many brain cells to all of the chardonnay

A cross-dresser????