Here’s your chance to exist in the actual world of Harry Potter. Step through the same doorways as J.K. Rowling’s unforgettable characters. Walk through the same halls as the famed boy wizard. Before you get too excited, though, bear in mind that we’re not talking about the grand medieval castle that serves as the home for Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry, although that would be really cool. We’re talking about the modest suburban home in which Harry Potter spent his formative years being psychologically abused by his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. As the Daily Mail reports, that stand-in for the soul-crushing mundanity of our materialist world is currently on the real estate market.
“Situated in a quiet cul-de-sac location, this detached property has recently undergone complete renovation to an extremely high standard,” says the $600K (£475K) listing for the two-story house in Martins Heron, Bracknell, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of London. But don’t worry—despite what the listing says, it hasn’t been completely renovated. No, there’s still one very important feature to the old homestead: The cupboard under the stairs where a pre-teen Harry was forced to spend his days and nights. Yep, if you throw down the cash for this place, you can make a habit of squeezing into that stifling cramped space, gazing up at the bottom of the main stairs, and musing on what it feels like to be orphaned and unloved.
This is actually the second time that the location originally chosen by producers of 2001’s Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone to portray the existentially repulsive 4 Privet Drive has gone up for sale in the past several years. It sold for just under $380K (£290K) back in 2010. It’s unknown why it would be worth nearly twice as much now, but it might have something to do with Muggles moving into, or out of, the neighborhood.