A BEACH hut on Mudeford Sandbank has gone up for sale for £450,000 - the same price as a four bed house in many parts of the country.
The wooden hut has no toilet or shower and requires a 30 minute walk to get there.
The blue-painted hut is one of the best positioned cabins on Mudeford.
Unlike most of the other 350 huts there, hut 170 is on a single row with no others in front or behind it.
This means the new owners will have dual aspect views of the sea and the Isle of Wight on one side and Christchurch Harbour from the other.
The estate agent tasked with selling it has a waiting list of prospective buyers and believes it will go within days.
The first in line, Ken Ryder, 73, left a New Year's Eve party so he could get first pick.
Andy Denison, of Denison's estate agents which is selling the Mudeford hut, believes the trend for staycations of driving up demand - and prices.
He said: "It might be mid-winter and wet and windy but now is the best time of year to be buying and selling beach huts.
"People are back at work and are starting to think about their staycations or about taking a new direction for their summer holidays.
"From April 1, the local council will be increasing ground rents for beach huts so now is the time to get in and buy before that happens.
"Also, if people buy now they will be ready for the start of summer."
Unlike most other beach huts across the country, the ones at Mudeford can be slept in for eight months of the year.
Hut 170 can sleep six people; with the seats in the lounge area being converted into a bed and a mezzanine floor level offering more sleeping space.
It has solar panels on the roof which can provide 12volts of power for an electric fridge, kettle and lights. It has a gas oven powered by calor gas bottles.
There is a wooden deck at the rear to make the most of the sunset harbour views while the front doors open out to the sandy beach.
There is a communal toilet and shower block nearby.
Over the past 20 years, prices for beach huts at Mudeford have shot up from £80,000 to well over £400,000 today.
It is impossible to secure a mortgage on them and so interested parties must be cash-buyers.
Mr Denison said: "With the beach huts at Mudeford people are buying a lifestyle as well as an investment.
"There is a vibrant community of hut owners and people go and spend all weekend down there."
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