Danger house: Abandoned New Zealand home, too dangerous to enter, for sale for $553,000

“Abandoned and broken” is how real estate agent Louise Roke describes this dilapidated property on Waiheke Island, near Auckland, off the North Island of New Zealand.

Roke, of Ray White Waiheke, describes the house as a “mouldy oldy” that no-one is allowed to enter because it is considered too dangerous. It is being sold “as is, where is”.

In her listing the agent says the abandoned house has had a “tragic mid-life crisis where internal guttering has leaked”, causing black mould to grow inside.

“It’s very sad to see; it is not hard to tell the love that lived here. The family have told me that years ago, when their parents were here, it had beautiful sea views out towards the mainland with the little islands dotting the ocean. Now the trees at the front have grown, but from the water tank I can get a glimpse.”

Roke says the house is attracting considerable interest, and one of the viewers was another real estate agent who used to own it many years ago.

“He came to view it, and was quite distraught to see what had happened. He said it had been built with the best materials originally.”

Roke says the property is a deceased estate and most of the family live in Australia.

“The story of the house is a familiar one, with our ageing population. People are dealing with their parents’ home, and it’s not easy to maintain a property from afar.

“We see this problem often on Waiheke Island. There may be big gardens to maintain; things grow quickly and a property can get pretty unrecognisable.”

Roke says it’s often a challenge for families when elderly relatives need to move on, and the property is not lived in.

Despite its obvious drawbacks, this two-bedroom house could become the gem it once was. There is a view that could be recovered, and it’s very close to the water and a little beach.

Alternatively, it could be demolished and one or two new homes built. The property is a double site with two titles and more than 1700 square metres of land in total.

The property, on O’Brien Road, is listed at $NZ589,000 ($553,000). Roke says, for health and safety reasons, an agent must be present, even for viewing around the outside of the house.

This story was first published by Stuff.co.nz.