Buyers have been quick to snap up historic properties in Dunedin.
Two homes in the city – one an apartment in the old Stavely building, the other a mid-century gem designed by a famous architect – received winning offers not long after they hit the market for sale.
Pete Strong, of Nidd Realty, could not say what his swanky two-bedroom apartment sold for, but it had been listed with a price indication of around $700,000.
“We had multiple offers on the property, so a pretty good campaign,” he said.
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“Whenever we’ve sold a property in there they’ve always attracted plenty of interest because they’re a little bit set apart from what else is available as far as apartment living in the city.”
The Jetty Street apartment is in a former grain warehouse built in 1875. The heritage-protected building was badly damaged by a fire in 2008 but was rescued by a local property developer and turned into apartments.
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Buyers were attracted to the central location and also the style and story of the building. “It feels like a New York loft apartment which is quite cool. Everyone wants to live somewhere cool,” Strong said.
Developer Bruce Purvis told OneRoof last month how he and son Tony rescued the old Stavely Building after the 2008 fire. While the facade was protected, the interior was able to be reconfigured.
Purvis thought the original warehouse was built to be attractive because of the one-upmanship that was taking place in Dunedin in the 1870s. Dunedin was booming back then because of the gold rush and each warehouse was built to look better than its neighbours, he said.
The 2008 blaze gutted the building, but the property has since been rescued. Photo / Craig Baxter, Otago Daily Times
Another historic property snapped up late last month was a mid-century home designed by Dunedin architect Ted McCoy.
The four-bedroom, three-storey house on Smith Street, in Dunedin Central, has an RV of $980,000 but listing agent Jacqui Johnston declined to say what it sold for or who bought it. However, there had been a lot of interest in the house.
“We had something like 100 groups of people through it. That’s very strong. Very, very strong,” she told OneRoof.
A property on Smith Street, in Dunedin Central, was snapped up last month and was one of two Ted McCoy-designed homes listed for sale in Dunedin this year. Photo / Supplied
The second Ted McCoy home - Sandrey House at 79 Newington Avenue, in Maori Hill - is still up for grabs. Photo / Supplied
“Everybody loved the spot and the original features. I don’t think it’s a reflection of the general market at the moment.”
She said the overall market in Dunedin was a bit fragile. “If you go back a few years, you’d put a house on the market and there would be multiple offers within a week or two. Now you might be lucky to get one offer. People have got lots of choice.”
The house on Smith Street was one of two McCoy properties listed for sale this year.
The second, 79 Newington Avenue, in Maori Hill, is seeking offers over $1.2 million and is listed with James Columb, of Columb & Co.
McCoy is known for designing the sanctuary of St Paul’s Cathedral and the Richardson Building at Otago University.
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