New ZealandThe decaying, rundown property in the Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn was prized because of its renovation potential
Thu 15 Jul 2021 04.47 BST
A decaying three-bedroom house with no toilet or bathroom, missing walls and an overgrown garden has sold in New Zealand for more than $2m (£1m), in the latest example of runaway property markets around the world.
The 1920s-era bungalow on Ariki Street, in Aucklands affluent suburb of Grey Lynn, sold at auction on Thursday for $2.075m (£1.05m), after the bidding opened at $1.75m, Stuff reported.
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Auckland councils property valuation page estimates its value at $1.65m and that the property requires $200,000 worth of improvements.
A rudimentary shower inside the house. Photograph: Barfoot & Thompson
The Barfoot & Thompson real estate agent listing described the house as a blank canvas in need of urgent attention and was the most affordable character entry to home ownership available in Grey Lynn.
The property is classed in the single house zone under the citys unitary plan the plan that determines how areas in the city are used, developed or protected and is prevented from multi-unit development.
Barfoot and Thompsons auctioneer, Campbell Dunoon, told Stuff that such properties were highly sought after.
People, who I would call traditional retail buyers, would in the previous years buy a property to move into are now buying a property to do up and then move into.
There are certainly more people like that.
The back garden of the house in Ariki Street, Auckland. Photograph: Barfoot & Thompson
New Zealand has one of the hottest property markets in the world. The most recent data puts the average house price at a record-breaking $943,000 a 22% increase from June last year. Its figures show Aucklands market remains the hottest, with average prices now sitting at $1.5m. Grey Lynns average price is higher still nearer to $1.6m.
In March, the government announced a series of billion-dollar measures aimed at reining in the runaway market.
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The decaying, rundown property in the Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn was prized because of its renovation potential
