– An Auckland man is auctioning the concrete slab of his fire-destroyed home with a $1 reserve.
– The owner, in his 60s, lost everything in the fire and ended up sleeping rough with his dog.
– He received an insurance payout and wants to move on and buy a property outside Auckland.
An Auckland man forced to live on the streets with his small dog after his home was consumed by fire a year ago is now selling off his land for as little as $1.
All that remains of the two-bedroom brick and tile house at 3/43 Alverston Street, in Waterview, is a bare concrete slab on the cross-lease section.
Ray White agent Hugh Free, who is selling the property with colleague Susan Woods-Markwick at auction with an ultra-low reserve, said his 67-year-old vendor lost everything in the fire.
“That was meant to be his forever home. He was going to retire and live in it, and then it [was destroyed in the] fire,” he told OneRoof. “Only his dog survived.”
The owner and his dog were homeless after the fire. Photo / Supplied
Free said that after the blaze, his client spent a few months sleeping rough with his much-loved Jack Russell. He then travelled around the North Island and is now living in accommodation in Hamilton.
Free said his client had received an insurance payout, but instead of rebuilding his home, he just wanted to move on. “It has to go. That’s what he said to us,” Free said.
“He doesn’t want to live in Auckland anymore. I think, emotionally, it’s just a bit sore for him. He just wants to be done with it; sell the slab of concrete and buy something else, probably rural outside of Auckland.”
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Free said the property would likely attract a builder, investor, or property trader who wanted to reinstate the original dwelling for reselling. It might also appeal to a “really brave first-home buyer”.
A consent to reinstate the original 92sqm dwelling has already been approved by Auckland Council. “If you rebuilt it to the same dimensions, and everything was brand new, it would be a nice, popular unit and sell really well.”
Waterview was a great area and popular with first-home buyers, he added.
The two-bedroom, one-bathroom home before the fire took hold. Photo / Supplied
The house and all its contents were destroyed. Photo / Supplied
Freehold half-sites in Waterview typically fetch in the $700,000s, but because no vacant cross-lease sections had recently come to market in the suburb, pricing was difficult.
The property has an RV of $780,000 – $560,000 of which is land value – and sits in an enclave of single-level, standalone brick units built in the 1980s.
Free said the $1 reserve was a testament to the owner’s motivation. “His words were, ‘It has to go’. He’s ready to move on.
“He said to me yesterday on the phone, ‘This will be the last monkey off my back before I can fully move on’ after everything he’s been through.”
– 3/43 Alverston Street, Waterview, Auckland, goes to auction on August 27