A dilapidated home in Blackheath which was sold for a whopping £550,000 despite being hidden completely by trees has seen the light of day for the first time in decades.

The Ruthin Road property, dubbed The Tree House, attracted nationwide media attention when it was auctioned by Savills in May.

It had a guide price of £450,000 and, following a bidding war, was bought by IT project manager Samir Patel for £554,000.

And Samir has his work cut out with the property in need of complete renovation.

Now, almost four months later, the trees have been removed and the house is visible from the street.

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The brickwork appears to be in relatively good condition, but one upper window is missing and the other window frames have seen better days. The tree removal also reveals the end-of-terrace home's integrated single garage for the first time.

Samir, from Croydon, is in the process of applying for planning permission to renovate the home.

It is hoped the council will approve plans for the property to match next door’s style and height, giving it a more characterful look.

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Samir said: “The front is now cleared. We think it is a 1950s house, it is a lot more modern than we expected. It is going to have a complete overhaul.

“We knew it was smaller than the other houses but it looks completely different to what we were expecting.

“I’m happy the trees are removed and the house is now visible.

“We’re going to do everything. Put a new roof on it, new electrics, new plumbing. It is going to take seven-to-eight months to finish.”

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Despite its awful condition, almost 100 people queued up to view the home during a pre-auction open day.

Bidding opened up at £470,000 and, 25 bids later, it was bought by Samir.

Auctioneer Chris Coleman-Smith called it "one of the best places he had sold in years".

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The staggering price paid was £75,000 more than the average home in London but still below the £800,000 a perfect terrace home on the street would cost.