A three-bedroom cottage in Devonport, on Auckland’s North Shore, sold under the hammer for $2.38m – an hour before the Prime Minister announced New Zealand was going into lockdown.
And the proceeds of the sale are to go the Auckland City Mission.
Cheryl Crane, of real estate agency Andre and Cheryl, who marketed the property with Andre Coppell, said that the sale on Tuesday went through "in the nick of time".
“Our clients are extremely happy and we couldn’t be more thrilled ourselves. In our 20-year career this was one of the most special sales we have been involved in, knowing all the proceeds were going to the Auckland City Mission,” she said.
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Five registered bidders, including one on the phone, pushed the sale price to well above its reserve, and $630,000 above its 2017 valuation.
The late owner of the property was devoted to helping Auckland's homeless. Photo / Supplied
The buyers, a local couple who did not wish to be named, said they were happy for the money to go to a good cause.
“I’m happy to give my life savings to the homeless. We come into this world with nothing, we go out with nothing. Friends are already saying that when we die, we should leave the house to the Mission ourselves,” one of the owners told OneRoof.
He added that he had lived in Devonport when he first arrived in New Zealand from Cornwall, England, in 1973, and that the 1920s cottage reminded him of home.
Over 20 people watched the auction, called by Andre Coppell, on Tuesday. Photo / Supplied
“It’s like a Cornish cottage - lots of small rooms, full of character and close to the water. We saw the story in the paper and said, ‘That’s exactly what we want’.”
Crane said that 87 groups had viewed the property, with some 20 attending the auction in the garden. The lockdown was announced an hour after the buyers had finished the paperwork with the bank.
The cottage's late owner, Dianna Sutherland, who died in December, stipulated the donation in her will.
Crane said that Sutherland had been associated with the City Mission for over five years and felt strongly about providing help to those in need. "This amazing gift would have a huge impact on the lives of many," she said.
The CEO of the City Mission, Helen Robinson, had told OneRoof earlier this month that the donation was likely to be one of the biggest to the charity, which aims to find permanent accommodation for people living on the streets.
“I didn’t know Dianna myself, but I am overwhelmed and very moved by her generosity, and the money we receive from the sale of her home will go towards supporting the many members of the community who need our help," she said.
View from above: HomeGround,the City Mission's new home, between Hobson St and Federal St. Photo / supplied
"We’re committed to tackling the poverty cycle and addressing the reality of food insecurity. Last year we distributed around 48,000 food parcels to those in need. Every cent [of the house sale] will be put to good use."
The City Mission is about to move into its own new home at the end of the year, a $110m 10-storey tower on Hobson Street in the city.
The timber building, wrapped around a restored Victorian hotel, will be the tallest structural timber building in this country and one of the tallest in Australasia.
Known as HomeGround it will provide 80 new apartments for the chronically homeless and people on social housing waiting lists as well as kitchen and dining facilities, gardens, medical centre, detoxification units and social workers.
The Government contributed $53.8m and the Mission has raised the balance of the $110m cost.
