Three charities are set to benefit from the sale of one of Auckland's most colourful homes.
The owner of the three-bedroom house at 57 Cardwell Street, in Onehunga, passed away leaving instructions that any proceeds from the sale of his estate should be given to the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul and Fred Hollows Foundation.
The Onehunga villa is one of four properties that the owner has bequeathed to charity. Two were sold in December for around $800,000 each, while another, on the North Shore, joins the Onehunga villa on the auction block next week.
Sumich Real Estate owner Mark Sumich said the Cardwell Street property was a career first for him.
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The interior of the house is a riot of colour and unusual design choices. Several rooms have pressed tin walls in eye-popping hues of bright red and lime green and are furnished with floral Axminster carpets. At the back is a washhouse in original condition complete with a boiler and old concrete tubs, and in the backyard is a chook house and aviary.
On the upside, there are vintage windows and doors, a fireplace and the very attractive corbels and trims on the front of the house.
The villa has a 2021 CV of $1.575m and sits on a 538sqm section. Photo / Supplied
Green patterned walls, a pink ceiling and a floral carpet leave a lasting impression. Photo / Supplied
The listing makes no bones about the house needing more than just a nip and tuck: “A top to bottom overhaul is well overdue. So before you indulge in drawing room high tea fantasies or scandalous political parlour salon-sessions, please do your research."
Sumich told OneRoof: “In my 36 years in real estate, I’ve never seen anything like the interior. It’s quite extreme. I’ve seen ceilings in the tin, but never whole walls.
“Clearly people are looking at the cost of an upgrade, but Cardwell is a very popular street and renovated villas can fetch around $1.7m.”
OneRoof records show the property, which goes to auction on February 23, has a CV of $1.575m, most of which is for the land.
The kitchen, which will need some work, is currently a mixture of bright pinks and cool blues. Photo / Supplied
Sumich said: “There’ll be some interest, but people see that it’s a helluva lot of work. We’re certainly expecting to exceed what the property over the road sold for in December."
The background of the villa and its owner is hard to come by, but Sumich understands the owner did live there spasmodically. “Apparently he was quite the character, there were chickens in the backyard.”
Another property that's part of the estate, a three-bedroom house at 820 East Coast Road, Oteha, Auckland, goes to auction on February 26. Photo / Supplied
The agent's listing describes the Oteha property as a "substantial 1970s home in need of urgent help". It has 2021 CV of $1.37m. Photo / Supplied
The fourth property in the deceased estate is a three-bedroom 1970s brick and tile house on 981sqm at 820 East Coast Road, in Oteha, on Auckland’s North Shore. The do-up has a CV of $1.37m and goes to auction on February 26.
