- Buyers viewing a rundown house in Onehunga were advised to bring protective gear.
- The four-bedroom bungalow has serious structural issues and has been boarded up.
- Another infamous dump in the neighbourhood is also on the market for sale.
A $1 million dump plagued by rats, rubbish, and black mould sold at auction today for $866,000.
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At least 10 registered bidders competed to own the four-bedroom bungalow on Mays Road, in Auckland’s Onehunga.
Bidding on the deceased estate started at $200,000 with the hammer coming down 46 bids and $666,000 later.
Ray White agent James Burry, who marketed the cross-lease property with colleague Bart Kalipatama, said interest had been strong throughout the campaign, with most looking past the eyesore and seeing the potential of the corner site.
The house, currently split into two flats and sporting a CV of $1.15 million, was so full of junk, that buyers were told to wear protective footwear, masks, and gloves at the open homes.
“We’ve only got access to the back half,” Burry told OneRoof ahead of the auction. “Access to the front is a bit tricky because it’s been boarded up and it’s full of stuff. There is a basic vanity in what we guess is the bathroom, but the kitchen has been taken out [and] there’s a basic sink in one room.”
The bungalow at 38 Mays Road, Onehunga, is on a cross-lease site. Photo / Supplied
The house has been boarded up since the owner died earlier this year. Photo / Supplied
Burry said the door was boarded up and he brought power tools to the open homes so he could unscrew them in order to allow access. “You can’t see the sub-floor in a lot of areas. You can’t really see what’s going with it structurally,” he said.
The house had been unoccupied since the owner had died earlier this year. Burry said he’d heard that people were dumping rubbish on the property, and he had seen rats scurrying around the garden, but there was no budget from the estate to clear the house before putting it on the market. He said both agents funded the marketing out of their own pockets.
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“These 100-year-old-homes are highly sought after. I live two blocks away and the whole area is amazing.”
He noted that well-renovated houses of a similar type had sold for between $1.39m and $1.5m in the suburb, so there was an upside for those looking to take on a dump.
Burry and Kalipatama had picked up the listing after some sleuthing. “We did a bit of digging and found that the owner had passed away and there was a lawyer publicly advertising for a will, as you have to do before it goes into probate. That was three months ago, we had someone who was interested. And then [the family] got back in touch and said we’d love your assistance.”
The house last changed hands in 1995 for $159,000 but the agents didn’t know much more of its history. They were pleased to learn that neighbours had kept an eye on the late owner and mowed her lawns.
“It’s a very busy corner and people on the community [Facebook] page are always commenting on it and asking what’s happening, so there’s lots of local interest,” Burry said.
Another old Onehunga house at 85 Arthur Street is on the market with a set sale closing December 4. Photo / Supplied
The Arthur Street house was famous for the carcass of a Mini car trapped in the overgrown hedge. Photo / Supplied
A few streets away, at 85 Arthur Street, is another rundown home up for grabs.
The listing agents, Ray White’s Martin Honey and Ben Bibby, declined to comment on the sale, but their advertising said the property was known in the area as “the Mini in the hedge” house. In recent weeks, neighbours have stood in wonder as the workers removed the trees and hedging that was growing through the exterior of an old car. The house, which had been hidden from street view, is now visible and the infamous Mini is no more.
“This property ... is a serious renovation project or an ideal site for a new build to create your new home,” the agents’ advertising said.
The three-bedroom bay-fronted villa, which the agents said was “brimming with potential”, is on the market for the first time since 1980.
Listing photos show only the outside of the villa, which is on a roomy 817sqm section, along with a floor plan indicating two small kitchens, two bathrooms and four fireplaces.
The property has a CV of $1.85m and a set sale date of December 4.
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