A Christchurch townhouse, which was the scene of a suspected murder-suicide earlier this year, has sold at auction for $505,000 – $145,000 above its RV.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom mock Tudor home on Ayr Street in Riccarton sold under the hammer today after receiving more than a dozen bids.
Bidding started at $200,000 but quickly jumped to $470,000 before rising in smaller $5000 increments.
Mike Pero auctioneer Julia Rust announced the property on the market as the bidding reached $505,000.
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The house was listed for sale by Mike Pero agents Christian O’Malley and Chris Day last month and was marketed as an “exceptional opportunity” for developers and renovators.
Before opening the bidding, Rust described the “as is, where is” property as a “blank canvas” that was close to Hagley Park and zoned for both Christchurch Boys’ High School and Christchurch Girls’ High School. According to OneRoof data, the house last changed hands in 1998 for $280,000.
The property made headlines in April this year when Beverley Joan Mcilraith, 80, and her son, Nick Myles Mcilraith, who was in his 40s, were found dead by police. The police had been contacted by a family member who got concerned when they could not reach them.
The pair were found in separate rooms.
The Herald earlier reported that it was understood that mother and son had been dead for anywhere between “a number of days” to “possibly up to three weeks”.
When contacted last month by the Herald about the sale, Mike Pero Real Estate declined to comment saying it was a “sensitive subject”. There was no mention of what had happened in the property on the listing.
Real Estate Authority (REA) chief executive Belinda Moffat told OneRoof in June 2022 that when it comes to what the REA deems as “sensitive issues” such as a murder or suicide happening in the property, it is up to the agent to assess it on a case-by-case basis and consider where it happened, how long ago, the likely reaction of potential buyers and the possible impact on the price.
Agents were not required to disclose it in the marketing process or tell every person through the open home, but should inform potential buyers before they make an offer, the REA website said.
