A small holiday home in Akaroa has sold for $262,500 – making it the cheapest house by far to sell in the seaside destination in at least two years.
The unit on Aubrey Street sold under the hammer last Thursday with just one person bidding on it.
The fully-furnished property had been on the market for almost a year with a different agency.
Harcourts Grenadier listing agent Michelle Corkindale, who took over the listing last month, said the owner just wanted it sold.
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The listing said: “The owner’s desire for a cash sale means that this property needs to be sold on auction day if a bidder turns up.”
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Corkindale said $262,500 was a very realistic price for the upstairs unit, which could only be used for short-term accommodation. The property has an RV of $345,000, but she was unaware of any of the rear properties at that address in the past selling for above the mid-$200,000s.
The unit is situated in the centre of the town among other holiday lets, is only 40sqm, and contains a small kitchenette purposely designed to encourage visitors to dine at restaurants to boost the economy.
“I would say it is a very realistic sale price for short-term accommodation, and you can make a good gain on it.”
The property can only be used for short-term accommodation. Photo / Supplied
A Duvauchelle boatshed on the Akaroa Harbour sold earlier this year for $255,000. Photo / Supplied
The next lowest sale price in Akaroa since the beginning of 2021 was a two-bedroom property on Church Street across the road from the water which sold for $380,000 a year ago, according to OneRoof-Valocity data.
The new owner lived in Christchurch and appeared to have bought the property with friends. He planned to run it as holiday accommodation, while also staying it in themselves.
During the warmer months from October to March the property had a high occupancy rate, she said.
The majority of people interested in the property were from Christchurch, despite people a lot of Aucklanders viewing the listing online.
Given that the property was being sold in the town’s quieter season, Corkindale added, they had seen about a dozen groups through the open homes.
In March this year a quaint boatshed in Duvauchelle on the Akaroa Harbour sold for $255,000 after eight buyers battled it out for the rare opportunity. The shed was announced on the market at $170,00 but two bidders kept driving the price up.
Later that month a 1.523ha lifestyle property on Purple Peak Road in Akaroa sold for $2.5 million at auction after being on the market with various agencies for about a decade. The overseas-based owner included his Bentley and furnishings with the sale.
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