4 days ago
$59,000 for Vic hoarders house, one of the state's cheapest homes
A regional Victorian hoarders house has hit the market with a $59,000 bargain price and an intriguing offer for the buyer: you can sell anything of value that's left in the home.
Among the known inclusions are a caravan, a Ford station wagon and a Mitsubishi Galant — but they're not ruling out the possibility there's more of value hidden among the mess in a real estate listing that's been dubbed 'The Great Australian Dream meets 'Hoarders''.
And it's not the only dirt-cheap offering up for grabs in Victoria, with a fire-damaged house in another regional town and a caravan annex with water views that you can only call home 89 days in a year also up for grabs at less than $20,000.
Not far from Ouyen in the state's north west, the bizarre hoarders home offer for the aptly located 9 Messines St, Nandaly, property has already had 200 people inquire about it, with interest coming from as far away as Bendigo, Geelong and Melbourne.
Ray White Mildura's Brett Driscoll said the deceased estate might well have been worth $85,000-$90,000 if it weren't for the mess that needed to be cleaned up, and the expected price had been reduced to accommodate the costs of cleaning it out.
The $59,000 cost they've landed on is less than many new cars today, including the Mercedes A-Class that's frequently scene parked outside Melbourne real estate offices.
'But everything is included, so with the caravan and the cars, that might have a bit of value and you could probably flog them off to pay for the skip,' Mr Driscoll said.
'It might take a few weeks, so it's a bit of a big job for someone.
'But it's increasingly rare to buy a house for that sort of price anywhere in Australia.'
There are big numbers already intrigued, not just for a cheap home they could use to 'get out of the rat race', but also for what it might contain.
'You know what hoarders' homes are like, they can have cash stashed and other bits and pieces hidden around.
'We've just had the first inspection there with 39 groups going through it.
'And I'd say most of the people who were looking through it weren't deterred by the work involved. So I suspect there will be quite a few offers.'
But even with a $59,000 asking price it's far from the cheapest home for sale in the state today.
A $19,500 caravan and annex in Loch Sport Caravan Park, with water views to Lake Victoria and billed as a two-bedroom unit, costs less than the cheapest new car released in Australia this year — the Kia Picanto Sport Manual, which starts at $22,340 drive away.
However, C Shell Real Estate's Renee Potts said with the caravan park not able to offer year-round accommodation at the site, you can only spend 89 nights of the year in the abode — unless you spend an extra $20 a night to go past this. There is also a month's cap on the maximum duration of any stay at the 106 Lookout Loop property.
You also pay an annual $4,360 fee to cover access to the park's features and its general upkeep.
'You can't live there full time, but it's got all your amenities with camp kitchens and an amenities block for when you are there,' Ms Potts said.
'But it's in a great spot, as you do get a view of Lake Victoria from it, and you are walking distance to everything in town.'
The agent said with only one or two coming up for sale in any given year, most of those who bought them were from Melbourne and using the purchase as a way to test out the area before committing to a holiday getaway on its own land.
In Pyramid Hill, west of Echuca and south of Kerang, most homes sell for around $200,000-$250,000.
One at 3 Railway Ave is currently listed for $49,000.
The catch? It's so badly burned the council have a strict demolition order in place.
Luke Ryan Real Estate's Luke Ryan said with demolition likely to cost $15,000-$20,000, the addition of a modest cabin for about $100,000 would have an owner set up ready to go for less than $200,000 — well below local rates for established homes.
'And we have had a few buyers interested,' Mr Ryan said.
'It's hard to find even land at this price. Anyone buying this place won't go wrong.'
