The owners of a Coromandel house are hoping leaving behind a gleaming Rolls-Royce in the near-new triple garage will drive buyers to the property and help them jump-start their classic car collection.
The free Rolls-Royce is the latest in a string of unique automotive offerings being included in house sales around the country as agents try and make properties stand out in a slowing market.
The retired couple, who are rock n’ rollers and classic car lovers, built the additional three-car garage when they moved into 17 Seascape Avenue in Whitianga three years ago to house their own eclectic classic car collection.
But with plans to move to a smaller property in Paeroa, they have decided to leave behind one of their beloved cars for the new owners.
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“It was their baby. They did actually use the car for weddings, so it was a running wedding car which is quite cool,” said Bayleys listing agent Belinda Sammons.
Up until the end of this summer the Rolls-Royce, valued at $31,000, has played a part in people’s special days and escorted wedding parties around the peninsula. A special licence is needed if someone wants to drive it as a commercial vehicle.
The owners built an additional three-car garage for their classic car collection. Photo / Supplied
“This can be the start of your classic car collection with a separate three-car garage in addition to the double internal-access garage.”
Sammons said it was rare to find properties in Whitianga with five-car garaging that would suit people wanting room for the boat or jet ski, or fellow car enthusiasts like the current owners.
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It could also attract people keen to get involved in the annual Beach Hop, she said, because Whitianga was close enough to travel to it and was also part of the loop for the festival.
Following Beach Hop this year, Whangamata agents told OneRoof that properties with plenty of garaging, off-street parking and close to the town were top of the shopping list for classic car lovers.
But for those who wanted the garaging for their other big toys, Sammons said the car was negotiable. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom property has an asking price of $1.085 million. The property last changed hands in 2020 for $650,000, OneRoof records show.
“Instead of a price drop we’ve just thrown in the car. It can be bought with or without the car too – it doesn’t have to be part of it but that can be negotiated out of it.”
Sammons said it was the first time she had marketed a property with something extra thrown in. “You see it in the cities, but not really here, so it’s nice to have something else to be able to give.”
The owners of the three-bedroom home with five car garaging are downsizing to Paeroa. Photo / Supplied
At the end of last year, a developer offered to throw in a brand-new Tesla worth $80,000 to make the new five-bedroom home stand out in a saturated Flat Bush market. The house sold and instead of taking the flash new car, the owners instead negotiated on the price. OneRoof records show the house sold for $1.65m in December 2022, which was significantly less than the initial asking price.
Earlier this year a large home in Akaroa sold for $2.5m at auction and included bonus items such as flat-screen TVs, artwork, and even a 2005 Bentley GT for the new owner to enjoy. The property had been for sale for more than a decade before finally selling in March.
Just before Christmas an Auckland real estate agent finally gave away a Mercedes-Benz C200 AMG worth more than $86,600. Barfoot & Thompson Millwater agent Charlie Cochrane ran the competition for the first 20 people to list their house with him as the country was coming out of lockdown providing they paid full commission and their own marketing expenses.
Cochrane sold some 30 to 40 properties since the offer was made in May 2020, but said some vendors chose to do deals on commission or marketing costs rather than go in the draw which is why it took 30 months for a winner to be drawn.
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