Property spotters are talking about the state of this pigeon-infested house for sale, but nothing will prepare you for what’s lurking upstairs…

Once in a while, a property listing comes along that takes you completely by surprise. At first glance, it was the rare state of this strange four-bedroom house in Ilfracombe, Devon that caught our eye – along with the mega-low price tag. Just another cheap home for sale with a catch, we thought.

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But as we took a closer look around Number 1 Coburg Villas on the amazing virtual tour by Panoptic Motion, we had a huge shock. Take the tour if you dare – but prepare for a scare!

The home is “in need of complete renovation and rebuilding”, the agent says, admitting that potential buyers are highly unlikely to get a mortgage on the property. But could it really be that bad? Sure, from the outside the three-storey period house does look dilapidated, but with old houses like these, often problems are only cosmetic.

With a guide price of just £45,000 ($60k) in a town where the average asking price for a four-bed property is around £300,000 ($398k), your first instinct might be to snap it up. Stepping into the hallway, you'll no doubt be pleased to spot original Victorian floor tiles. A promising start! But don't be deceived...

When even the estate agents describe a house as a “proper renovation project, not for the faint-hearted”, you know it’s not a straight-up revamp job.

There's no staircase leading to the first floor – you have to use a ladder – which does set off alarm bells in our mind. We get the impression that the ladder may have been used for some time though, as there are plenty of clues that the house has been recently inhabited.

The house is in such a poor state of repair that viewings in person are not possible: it’s deemed unsafe and not just because of the structural problems. A glance at the bird droppings on the banister is the first clue that there's something rotten about this house...

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To the right of the stairs on the ground floor there's a decent sized kitchen, which could be salvaged into something usable after a thorough clean. With cupboards filled with crockery and electrical appliances still in place, it's as if the last owner just vanished into thin air...

A rear view of the ‘staircase’ shows that much of the first floor is held up with acrow props, which doesn’t exactly instil confidence.

At the top of the ladder is the bathroom, which has certainly seen better days, but bright pink walls suggest some thought was once given to its decor. There are even remnants of old toiletries on the floor, too.

On the first landing of the staircase, a discarded clothes iron lies on the filthy carpet and an outgunned feather duster is, ironically, part of the collected rubbish.

On the first floor, what could be a spacious bedroom with a great bay window is in a terrible state, with a pane of glass missing and a whole lifetime's worth of junk piled up.

Looking more closely in this room there are some quite touching (and haunting) signs of domesticity, including family photos, CDs and a lone wine glass.

Clothes still remain in the smaller bedroom on the first floor and framed art adorns the wall (albeit at an angle) – reminders that this was once someone's actual home.

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Heading up the stairs to the second floor of the four-storey house, the extent of the pigeon poo problem becomes apparent. It's the main reason that people aren't able to view the property, as the excrement is a hazardous substance.

Turn around 180 degrees and you're confronted with bird faeces – piles of it up to two feet deep. Does anyone else feel queasy? Let's follow those narrow stairs up to the attic...

Right at the top of the house is this garret room which makes the most of the home's elevated position, offering views towards the Bristol Channel and the Welsh coastline. However, there is serious rot around the bay windows, with several open to the elements, not to mention feathered flying friends...

Back on the second-floor landing, it's obvious that this huge house would once have been a fabulous family home with plenty of room to spare. As a renovation project, it's about as tough as they come. But at £45,000 ($60k) it could still work out to be a good investment for a brave buyer.

There's definitely enough room to swing a cat, even in the smallest bedroom of the house. Frankly, it's a shame a cat wasn't living here years ago! The house was lived in by one woman who "kept herself to herself", according to Webbers' director Lee Hussell. She has since moved into rented accommodation.

Moving into the front bedroom on the second floor, the pigeon problem reaches its peak – this bedroom looks like something out of a horror film. We're starting to get creeped out a bit. Let’s get out of here, quick. But wait, it looks like there's something in here with us...

And just when you thought it was safe to turn around and go back downstairs, this giant pigeon-headed figure is hiding behind the door. Waaah! We can't get down that makeshift staircase fast enough! Of course, it's all part of the marketing plan. “It’s gone properly viral – we’ve had people contacting us to say it's been shared in Australia,” explains Lee. “So far thousands of people have seen the property online so I’m hopeful for a fair bit of interest when it comes to auction.”

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