– A run-down bungalow in Onehunga, plagued by rats and mould, is back on the market.
– The owner struggled to renovate, leading to a joint sale with the neighbouring property.
– The combined properties, zoned for development, have attracted significant interest ahead of the September 3 auction.
A run-down bungalow plagued by rats, rubbish and black mould has returned to market less than a year after it sold for $866,000 at a heated auction.
The buyer had planned to renovate the property on Mays Road, in Auckland’s Onehunga, but the project proved too difficult to complete on his own.
Harcourts listing agent Dan Eacock told OneRoof that his client had started to clear the house of junk, but then “reality kicked in”. “It was a bit too much to do,” the agent said, adding that his client had multiple projects running at the same time.
Joining 38 Mays Road at auction is a three-bedroom family home next door at 2A Curzon Street. Photo / Supplied
Both properties are being pitched to developers. Photo / Supplied
Eacock listed the property last Monday, and then three days later, got a call from the owner of a tidy three-bedroom house next door asking to join the listing.
Eacock had earlier approached the neighbour with the idea of selling both properties together as a development opportunity, but “at that stage, he didn’t want to. Then all of a sudden, three days into our campaign, he decided, ‘I do want to jump into the campaign now’. So, they’ve both agreed reserves, and anything past that, they’ll split.”
Eacock said the joint sale would most likely achieve a higher price than if the houses were sold individually. He predicted that both homes would be bowled by a buyer looking to take advantage of a 1056sqm site zoned for development.
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Eacock said the listing had attracted a lot of interest, noting that he had received more than 50 enquiries in the first 24 hours.
The properties, which have a combined RV of $2.225m, go to auction on September 3. “We’ve definitely had quite a big engagement from developers so far. People are saying $2m, so let’s see what happens. It’s the location and all the access points. But you never know until the day of the auction.”
The last auction for 38 Mays Road, in November last year, attracted at least 10 registered bidders. Bidding on the deceased estate started at $200,000, with the hammer coming down 46 bids and $666,000 later.
The house had been split into two flats and was so full of junk, the listing agents advised buyers to wear protective footwear, masks, and gloves at the open homes.
A renovated cottage at nearby 6 Curzon Street is also up for grabs at auction next month. Photo / Supplied
Even then, they could only access the back flat, because the front flat was boarded up and full of stuff.
The house had been unoccupied since the owner had died early last year. One of the then listing agents, Ray White’s James Burry, told OneRoof that he had seen rats scurrying around the garden.
Around the corner, at 6 Curzon Street, a crumbling three-bedroom cottage was snapped up in May for just under $935,000. It is now back on the market, with Ray White agents Shan Joshi and Olivia Martin, after a thorough makeover. It goes to auction on September 6.
– 38 Mays Road and 2A Curzon Street, Onehunga, Auckland, go to auction on September 3