Holland Road is a classic Hove address: quietly classy. The rowdiest resident is the sea rumbling away at the end of the street. There may be a bit of shuffling and tutting in the queue at Audrey's chocolate shop around Christmas and Easter. Otherwise, nothing unusual happens here. Well, not until recently.

“Whole period houses are rare in Hove,” says Glenn Mishon, director of Mishon Mackay estate agents. “So to have eight come on the market at once is pretty much unheard of. I've never seen so many.” No one has. The long row of “For Sale” signs stretching from No 41 to No 55 Holland Road is exciting and slightly suspect. Why so many? Why now? Holland Road runs from the busy shopping street of Western Road right down to the seafront. It's mostly residential apart from a language school and Audrey's Chocolates (a local institution famed for its cherries in brandy). The newish Starbucks is tolerated. “It's a very quiet road,” Mishon says. “The houses are four storeys plus basement and date from around 1880.”

Until September last year Nos 41-55 were halls of residence for students from Sussex University. Outside, they looked like separate houses, but inside, walls connecting the buildings had been knocked through. These have now been bricked up and the properties stand alone once again.

“The university rented them from a local landlord who then sold them to Oakdene Homes,” Mishon says. “They bought the original lot of eight houses totalling roughly 70 bedrooms for about £6 million. Oakdene retained two houses and obtained consent to turn them back into family homes. Another two have since sold. The remaining four houses are not classified as HMOs [houses in multiple occupation]. This means they can be houses or flats.”

They have been on the market for three months. “Eighteen months ago they'd have sold straight away. In these conditions, we've actually had to follow the market down,” Mishon says. The nine-bedroom houses started at £900,000. “Now we are asking £750,000. The smaller five-bedroom house has gone from £650,000 to around £550,000.”

What do you get for your money? No 41 has handsome black iron railings outside and a generous hallway. A lavish ceiling rose remains on the ground floor and there are picture rails and dado rails. Otherwise, it's feature-free. You can see the sea from the first-floor balcony (currently occupied by nesting pigeons). “No 41 could easily be converted into four two-bedroom flats with a generous one-bedroom flat on the top floor,” Mishon adds. “Conversion costs would be around £60,000 per flat. The two-beds would go for around £235,000 and the one-bed for about £190,000.”

I think that's a generous assessment in the current market. But, supposing he is right and you got one of the larger houses for the knockdown price of £650,000 and spent £300,000 converting it, you would make £180,000.

Whole houses here are few and far between. A quick glance at the doorbells confirms that almost all have been converted into flats. The average rent on a one-bedroom flat locally is about £160 a week; a three-bed house is about £300 a week.

Holland Road isn't listed grandeur but it is handsome in that understated Hove way. And, with Audrey as a neighbour, life would be very sweet indeed.

Nos 41, 43, 45 and 51 Holland Road, Hove, are for sale with Mishon Mackay, 01273 829300, www.mishonmackay.com

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