Boarded up, fire-damaged and condemned: Why Australia’s worst homes are still selling fast
Dilapidated. Neglected. Uninhabitable.
To their credit, most real estate agents are upfront when there is no hope for a dwelling on a property. Where there is some chance of rejuvenation, they might lure potential buyers with phrases like “TLC required,” “reimagine,” or “a new start.”
One property in Melbourne sold recently, despite buyers being able to do nothing more than peer through the windows – a situation that speaks to just how much of the appeal in these cases lies in the land beneath the rubble.
Agents explain that health and safety risks – asbestos, hoarding, damaged floors and walls, pest infestations – mean buildings are often boarded up entirely before a sale goes to market.
Sydney agent Rosalie Gordon has sold her share of difficult properties.
“They are often in poor condition because an owner has inherited a property but simply can’t maintain the home and has no support network in place, so trustees end up needing to manage the sale,” she says.
“Or they may be deceased estates that nobody wants to clean out – they just want to collect the money at the end.
“In such cases, agents make the property safe and put it to market.”
Gordon recently sold a rundown home in Ermington, a riverside suburb in Sydney’s west.
“It was really just the land that was of interest to people, rather than the boarded-up house,” she says.
“We had a lot of people inquiring whether it was salvageable – it wasn’t, in my opinion.”
Whatever the reason, checking out properties that are, let’s be honest, just land, can make for fascinating reading.
There’s no beating around the bush when it comes to this $120,000 property in remote Zeehan in western Tasmania.
Harcourts West Coast admits the weatherboard house requires a full renovation and will be a “roll up your sleeves” purchase.
Judging from the floors, the buyer will also need to set the robo-vac on turbo.
This “home” is patiently waiting for a bulldozer. The buyer will have no choice: the dwelling is condemned.
The good news? It is a prime site in one of Mandurah’s most strategic locations and ideal for redevelopment in the fast-growing city just an hour south of Perth.
Mandurah is already home to more than 100,000 people; the potential here is obvious.
The four-bedroom, two-bathroom house was destroyed by fire, meaning it is now simply a rectangular block for developers, investors or buyers.
No floor plan is available, and the yard is full of rubbish, but the property is in the family-friendly northern suburbs of Perth, and the land is standout, close to schools, shops, and public transport.
This expansive block on the outskirts of rugged Zeehan includes an open-faced shed – very cold during a deep Tasmanian winter.
Prospective builders should note that a septic tank will be required, though with a little creativity, that loo could be positioned to take full advantage of the panoramic views.
This one sold on April 25 for $666,000 – even though potential buyers had not been able to inspect the property.
The brick residence went to auction with no internal photographs, no virtual tour, no floor plan, and no access. The agents did not have keys.
The brick double dwelling was one of Melbourne’s surviving original 1956 Olympic Village homes, built for competing athletes and later converted into public housing.
One half was boarded up entirely, the other appeared, through the windows, to be untouched for decades.
“It was a unique situation,” admits Paul Carbone of Miles Real Estate Ivanhoe.
“I’ve been in the business for nearly 20 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Carbone told Domain that a family had bought the property.
Rosalie Gordon from Planet Properties in Sydney was pleased that 36 Cowells Lane, Ermington, sold for $1.59 million on April 18 despite its dilapidation.
“The house had a lot of rubbish in it, so it was safer to board the property and not allow any inspections,” she says.
“Unfortunately, closing off a house can create curiousity and some people try to get in. But often if they do see inside, they just walk away.”
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