Rundown villa bought for $1.14 million
Demand for do-up villas in Auckland seems as great as ever post-lockdown.
Clarke and Kelsey Baker have just spent $1.14 million on this Kingsland fixer-upper that’s just three doors along from their existing home in the same street.
And they were the ‘‘lucky ones’’. Tim Hawes, of Ray White Kingsland, says he had nine offers on the property.
Clarke, a doctor, and Kelsey, a communications adviser, currently spending time at home with their 18-month-old daughter Aesa, have just sold their home (also through Ray White), which they redecorated, but the project they are now facing is much bigger.
‘‘Our existing house was actually bought by my brother and myself as a joint partnership to get onto the property ladder, ‘‘ says Clarke Baker. ‘‘So this will be the first house Kelsey and I own together, and we hope to make it a great family home.’’
The house they have bought had been in the same family for more than 50 years, and despite its rundown state, interest in the property was ‘‘almost unbelievable’’, says Hawes.
‘‘In the first 10 days of being listed we had over 10,000 views online. That’s double the amount we’d usually see during a normal sales campaign, and we had 137 email and call inquiries through our Ray White site and Trade Me. This home was only on the market for 11 days.’’
The Bakers say the plan is to take the house back to its traditional villa splendour.
Hawes says compared with last year, online views on properties and inquiries are up ‘‘massively’’.
‘‘Online views are up 50 per cent on this time last year when compared to similar properties, and inquiry is around quadruple the amount.’’