– Two mid-century homes in Remuera are up for auction, expected to sell below neighbouring prices.
– The units, at 28 Victoria Avenue, have RVs of just over $1m.
– They are marketed to downsizers and investors, offering garden access and proximity to amenities.
Two mid-century homes are up for grabs on one of New Zealand’s wealthiest streets, but buyers won’t need to pay Victoria Avenue money to land them.
The units in Auckland’s Remuera are heading to auction later this month and will likely sell at a fraction of the cost of neighbouring homes.
Both properties are well-presented two-bedders in the Victoria Heights apartment block, at 28 Victoria Avenue, close to the shopping strip on Remuera Road.
Victoria Avenue is known for its rich-lister residents and stately homes, which can exceed $20m in price. However, the two 1960 apartments, one listed with Ray White and the other with Barfoot & Thompson, have RVs of just over $1m.
Also up for grabs is 2/28 Victoria Avenue, which goes to auction on September 17. Photo / Supplied
Ray White agent Jayne Kiely, who has the listing for 1/28 Victoria Avenue, said the property’s mid-century vibe was appealing to buyers. “She’s a 1960s gal, which I can relate to,” she told OneRoof.
“It has three sides, not just front and back or just a front, like a lot of the modern apartments. These older apartments have got so much more light.
“It has a garden at the front as well as a shared garden at the back, both of which are maintained by the body corporate.”
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She added: “Anything at the top of the avenue is very popular. Obviously, you don’t need your car. You just jump out your front door and you’ve got everything you need at your doorstep. It’s double grammar zone, so it’s a great investment property.”
The home has an RV of $1.03m and goes to auction on September 18.
Hitting the auction floor a day earlier is 2/28 Victoria Avenue, which is listed with Barfoot & Thompson agents Leila and David MacDonald.
The renovated two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit is described by the agents as “fully private and peacefully elevated above Victoria Avenue”.
Both properties are in the Victoria Heights block. Photo / Supplied
“This stylishly updated 1960s apartment presents a rare opportunity in a tightly-held boutique block of only six homes.”
The property has an RV of $1.325m and last changed hands in 2023 for $1.375m.
Both apartments have been pitched at downsizers and investors.
“We’ve got people wanting to downsize,” said Kiely. “People that just want a bolthole in Auckland. They just need a warm bed, a nice kitchen, and somewhere to park their car, because they do a lot of travel. They’ve got a property in Taupō, they’ve got a property in Queenstown, or they’ve got a property up north. They need to keep an Auckland postcode.”
1/28 Victoria Avenue is stylish and spacious. Photo / Supplied
The unit’s kitchen has been recently updated. Photo / Supplied
That’s pretty much the reason that the current owners bought the apartment. The vendor, who didn’t want to be named, told OneRoof that she already owned a larger property in a nearby suburb and thought 1/28 Victoria Avenue would make a good bolthole when the time came to retire.
“It’s on one level, has garden views and is very nice and spacious, with a designer kitchen and good storage,” she told OneRoof.
“Being part of a small boutique block helps keep it intimate. There’s a private garden in the backyard that is shared by the residents. It’s a beautiful place to hold a garden party and look out across the Domain to the Sky Tower.”
She added: “We bought it in the first place as a rental, but also as a long-term hold for future downsizing. That’s where I planned to live, so it’s been recently renovated. We have had tenants queuing up to rent there.”
The vendor said she and her partner had bought a property in Arrowtown so decided to sell. “We have another property in Auckland, so we thought, ‘Right, we need to free up some capital’.”
Units on Victoria Avenue are highly prized. A 1970s apartment at 37 Victoria Avenue sold in February for $1.595m, with Kiely and her colleague Amy Robertson sealing the deal. “It was middle of the building, beautiful views.”