An architecturally inspired dome-shaped house made up of '256 intercepting triangles' remains up for sale in Auckland.
Located at 49 Chatham Ave, Paremoremo on Auckland’s North Shore, the 3-bedroom dome, built around the 1980s is set on 2023 square metres of land with water access. A renovated 1920s/30s 2-bedroom cottage (49A), is also part of the package.
Despite the current listings shortage driving up house prices, the June realestate.co.nz report showing housing stock down 33.3 percent year-on-year, buyers haven’t yet offered the right money to take it off the current owners’ hands.
The Trade Me listing shows the property was listed on May 24. Six weeks later it hasn’t sold and the price is by negotiation.
Liam and Cleressa of Collett Realty, the real estate agents selling the property, told Newshub the dome is comprised of "256 intercepting triangles", of which "56 are windows".
"It’s an insane property...I don’t know if it’s more similar to a house or if it’s more similar to a boat," the agents said.
But the dome's uniqueness doesn’t stop there. There’s a ladder from "the kitchen cupboards to the roof".
Should the occupants want to make a hasty exit, there are escape hatches and little trap doors throughout. At the top centre of the dome, there are disco lights.
The wallpaper is woven, "almost like a plastic". And even the dome’s echo is unique.
"If you stand in the exact centre of the property, that echo...like you’ve never heard anything like it...it’s so surreal," the agent said.
The real estate agents confirm at least 30 to 40 people have been through it. Following the Government housing announcement on March 23, the market "went quiet for a couple of weeks". They also faced a couple of other challenges during the marketing process.
The property went to a deadline sale and attracted "many offers on the night". But those offers weren’t quite what the owners were looking for, they said.
Since last Friday, property enquiries received by their office have "increased by 10". They're expecting at least 7 "red hot investors" at this Saturday’s open home.
"Absolute bare bottom line is $1.750million upwards...we’re expecting a multi-offer this weekend so who knows where it’s going to end up," the agents said.
Homes.co.nz estimates the property value is $1.2million to $1.45million. But that doesn’t include the cottage, which due to the year it was built, is reportedly deemed too old to be recorded by Council and is not reflected in the Auckland Council property CV.
Confirming the listing has received over 17,000 views, Trade Me Property spokesperson Millie Silvester said this wasn’t the first "unique living opportunity" advertised online.
Last November, a listing for an original futuro house, based in Christchurch, received 76 enquiries through Trade Me, the seller confirming it sold to an Auckland buyer for an undisclosed sum.
