A Rotorua husband and wife real estate team have made true on their marketing promise to “go the extra mile” by donning 1920s fashion and stepping back in time just like their latest listing.
First National salespeople Callum and Anna Piesse, whose previous listing videos have included being on a motorbike or having kids ride bikes around them, decided the 100-year-old home was the perfect excuse to go to the costume hire shop and dress in art deco theme.
Callum Piesse told OneRoof they always liked to do something different in their listings, and when his wife Anna came up with the idea to dress up in character to match 29 Sophia Street, in Glenholme, he was all for it.
The pair also plucked out a few moves from their choreographed wedding dance several years ago to do a few spins around the wooden-floored lounge and have a bit of fun. Some of the video listing was even shot in black and white.
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Piesse said the current owner had bought 29 Sophia Street, in Glenholme, to live in while building his new home and then do it up when he retired.
Almost 20 years on, that plan still hasn’t happened and he’s doubtful it ever will so he has put it up for sale rather than continue to let it sit empty.
Being in the house was like being transported back to the 1920s and some of its character features include the wrap-around porch accessible from the lounge and bedrooms, wood panelling in the entrance way and hanging lead-light lamps.
“I personally love being there and absorbing it,” he said. “It was very nice and very beautiful and unfortunately it’s got itself into a bit of a state.”
In the video for the listing, agents Callum and Anna Piesse perform a classy dance number. Photo / Supplied
29 Sophia Street, in Glenholme, Rotorua, goes to auction on October 28. Photo / supplied
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home would suit a character lover, he said, with the passion to transform it from the worst house on the street to one of the best.
He liked to think of Sophia Street as a “million-dollar street”.
A larger property overlooking the golf course which has consent to be subdivided into three titles sold last month for just over $1 million, while a neighbouring five-bedroom, three-bathroom property sold in April for $1.3m. Both properties were on much larger sites.
“What makes 29 Sophia Street so unique is you actually have a home that I believe is worth every dollar you put into it because these things do take a lot of money and vision and energy, but because of the location and the street, by the time you finish doing it you’ve already made money.”
The property, which has an RV of $855,000 and last changed hands in 2005 for $452,000, is to be auctioned onsite later this month. Piesse said they were not giving a price indication at this stage because it was too difficult to put a price given there were very few recent sales of character do-ups in the area to use as a benchmark.
The lounge is big enough for dancing. Photo / Supplied
The hanging lead light lamps and wood panelling are among some of the impressive character features in the home. Photo / Supplied
He said they are instead asking people who attend viewings for feedback about what they think it's worth and how much they estimate the renovation could cost which, depending on the extent, has ranged from anywhere between $100,000 to $400,000.
The open homes have attracted a lot of interest including from most of the residents on the street and two previous owners who recalled how it used to be the grandest house on the street in its day.
“It’s funny where you find these good pockets of neighbourhoods because they all come to the open homes.”
Other agents have also tried to use dance in listing videos to catch the attention of buyers.
An Australian real estate agent successfully sold a luxury home in Western Sydney by getting two dancers to provocatively dance around it including on the kitchen bench and in the pool.
The aim of the video, which went viral, was to get people’s attention and it worked with the buyer only seeing it after his brother told him about the raunchy ad.
Closer to home, a Bayleys salesperson enlisted the help of the Dancing with the Stars judges Julz Tocker, Rachel White and Camilla Sacre-Dallerup when they were filming the 2018 season to help sell a 1910s bungalow on Roland Road in Greenhithe.
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Glenholme
