- A lifelong animal lover left her estate to Blind Low Vision NZ for guide dog training.
- The Mount Maunganui house, which has an RV $670,000, goes auction on December 17.
- Agent Lee Stringer and other real estate firms have donated their services.
A lifelong animal lover with a heart of gold has left the entire proceeds of her estate to New Zealand guide dogs.
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The late owner of 11B Monowai Street, in Mount Maunganui, stipulated in her will that the money made from the sale of her house should go to Blind Low Vision NZ for the training of more than a dozen pups.
The house, which has an RV of $670,000, goes to auction on December 17, with the listing on OneRoof highlighting the “heart-warming” tale behind the sale.
The late owner’s friend said in the listing ad that she had “passed away leaving a remarkable legacy”.
The home has an RV of $670,000 and, according to the listing agent, will be of interest to first-home buyers, investors and downsizers. Photo / Boundless Vision
“Her generous gift will help fund the training, care, and placement of service dogs in the Bay of Plenty thus enabling more blind individuals to gain independence and improve their quality of life.
“Amy’s thoughtful contribution ensures that her love for dogs continues to have a profound, lasting impact on both the animals and the people they serve.”
The cost of training one guide dog is more than $50,000 and includes vet bills, food equipment and professional training. A further $200,000 is needed to fund a working guide dog through its career for things such as vet bills and equipment.
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Blind Low Vision NZ’s Andrea Midgen said the charity did not receive any government funding and many of its services relied entirely on the generosity of New Zealanders.
She could not discuss individual donations, but said the charity had on occasion been fortunate enough to receive substantial gifts in wills. These funded over a third of its services.
The listing agent for the property told OneRoof that Amy’s donation was amazing. “She just really loved dogs,” Lee Stringer, of Northern Group, said.
“It’s expensive to train dogs. I can’t imagine how grateful the charity will be [to receive] hundreds of thousands of dollars in a difficult economic climate, where finding donations is probably hard.”
The property has been staged free of charge. Photo / Boundless Vision
Stringer said this was the first time he had been involved in a sale where all or even some of the proceeds were donated to charity. It had been an easy decision, he said, to donate his services. “I was like 'I’m not going to charge for that’. It just wouldn’t feel right.”
He said it was also great to have the opportunity to give his time and to do something for the community. “I was a policeman for 15-odd years and it was all about looking after people and doing the right thing, so when you can do this in this job you should be all in.”
All the agents in The Northern Group’s Tauranga branch have pitched in to help and are taking turns holding the open homes. Other real estate service providers such as the auctioneer Nigel Guyot, home staging firm Spacefully Yours, and media company Boundless Vision, which shot the photos and video, have also agreed to provide their services free of charge.
Some of the charity’s guide dogs will be at the auction. Photo / Blind Low Vision NZ
Stringer said the two-bedroom unit was a good entry-level property for the popular beach town and could suit first-home buyers, professionals or retirees. “It’s a little bit of everyone really that’s just looking for a nice easy care home at the Mount,” he said.
There was no price indication at this stage, but comparable properties had sold for around $600,000 to the low $700,000s.
The property has an RV of $670,000 and last changed hands in December 2010 for $270,000, OneRoof records show.
The auction is being held onsite and Blind Low Vision NZ plans to attend along with some of their guide dogs.
- 11B Monowai Street, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, goes to auction on December 17
