79a, High Street, Astcote, Towcester, NN12 8NW

79a is a detached house in Astcote, Towcester, Towcester (NN12 8NW). It has a recorded floor area of 141 m² (around 1514 sq ft), construction records dating it to before 1900 and council tax band E. The latest certificate (April 2011) shows an F (score 27), near the bottom of the EPC scale. The rating has held steady at F across 2 certificates since April 2011. Between certificates, roof efficiency went from Very Poor to Poor, lighting went from Poor to Average and main heating went from Poor to Average; while wall efficiency dropped from Good to Very Poor and hot-water efficiency dropped from Very Good to Average. The recommended improvements would push it to E (score 40). Main heating runs on oil. The latest certificate is from April 2011, so improvements made since then won't be reflected.

Held since March 2007 — that's 19 years off the open market, well above the local norm. That sale landed at the peak of the pre-credit-crunch market, which is a useful reference point when interpreting the price. At 141 m² the property is well over the postcode median (83 m² across 40 EPCs), placing it in the larger end of the local stock. On energy efficiency it sits in the bottom 10% of properties in this postcode — significant headroom for improvement. Across 2000–2007, sale prices on this property compounded at 11.7% per year. Today's modelled estimate of £566,000 sits 64.1% above the 2007 sale of £345,000.