George Best house goes up for sale

The terraced Belfast house where footballing legend George Best grew up will go on sale today.

The terraced Belfast house where footballing legend George Best grew up will go on sale today.

The three-bedroom property in east Belfast's Cregagh Estate will be placed on the market with an asking price of £165,000 Stg (€209,000).

The sale of 16 Burren Way follows the death of Best's 88-year-old father Dickie  earlier this year.

The former shipyard worker had lived there for more than 60 years, first moving in with wife Anne when George was just two.

The former Manchester United star, who died in 2005 after a long battle with alcoholism, learned how to kick a ball in the back garden and on the nearby playing fields.

His father had lived alone in the house since George's mother died in 1978.

As one of the most famous addresses in Northern Ireland, with a plaque on the front wall to prove it, it is expected to generate a lot of interest despite the ongoing slump in the local housing market.

Neil Templeton from property agent Templeton Robinson is handling the sale.

Mr Templeton said the asking price had not been inflated to reflect the status of previous owners.

"It's a fair representation of prices in the area," he said.

"It would be the same price if Mr and Mrs Smith had been living there.

"We do expect a lot of interest, so whether or not that will lead to a higher sale price we'll have to see."

PA