An Auckland couple’s ambitious goal to sell their house to fund six months’ travel with their kids has paid off, after the property sold at auction on Wednesday for $1.8265 million.
Kaycee and Karl Nicholas put their Barrack Road property in Mount Wellington on the market and are putting their construction business on pause for their family trip of a lifetime through South East Asia in July.
Barfoot & Thompson agents Stanley and Barbara Armon, who marketed the property, said there were three bidders for the property, with another three who couldn’t get bank finance sorted in time to bid unconditionally at the auction.
“There are people very frustrated at the banking system,” Stanley Armon said.
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Bidding for the five-bedroom house, which had been completely rebuilt by the Nicholases in 2015, started at $1.5m.
After the house was declared on the market at $1.805m, bidding quickly rose up to $1.8265 and the hammer came down after eight minutes.
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“It was so nerve-wracking, we’re just a bit shell-shocked and excited,” Kaycee told OneRoof.
“We’re just happy it’s gone to a nice couple, we believe they have kids too,” added Karl.
The couple said that with the sale settling in mid-May they’re happy they have time to sort out temporary accommodation before they depart in July.
Kaycee and Karl Nicholas and their two daughters celebrate the house sale. Photo / Supplied
The 1950s house was completely refurbished and now has five bedrooms, including a one-bedroom self-contained studio. Photo / Supplied
Barbara Armon said that the well-presented house attracted over 60 groups during its three-week campaign, a huge contrast to the many listings at the moment.
“With the amount of stock, sometimes you’re lucky to get one person through in a weekend,” she said.
The quality of the renovation helped attract buyers, the Armons said.
The Nicholases, who own construction business KN Construction, completely rebuilt the house that they’d bought in 2013 for $630,000, turning the original 1950s place into an almost-new five-bedroom, three-bathroom home. They added a self-contained one-bedroom flat and a generous garage, as well as a huge open-plan kitchen and dining room that opens to decks and garden. There is an office, storage space and plenty of parking.
“We’ve enjoyed living here, but we want to do it again,” Karl had earlier told OneRoof, prompting their decision to sell the house rather than rent it out while they travelled. He added that the kids, aged nine and seven, were sad about selling their childhood home, but quickly came on board when their parents promised that the new house would have a swimming pool.
The house and garden were completely refurbished in 2015. Photo / Supplied
The couple have been able to pause their construction business, lining up other jobs for their team and getting current projects completed before their July departure.
As well as the kids’ must-see list (monkeys in Bali, elephants in Thailand), the Nicholases are keen to expose them to other cultures and religions. And their school is on board, setting projects for them to complete in each country.
“We don’t want to do too much tourism stuff, we just want to be really involved in the culture so they can learn about other [cultures],” Kaycee said.
Friends and family are behind the plan to see the world and completely switch off from business.
“We’re living the dream. We’re living, rather than just grinding. Everybody says they wish they could do this,” she said.
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