A neglected Chatswood home with trees growing on the roof is set to go to auction with $2m expectations – in what could be a test for Sydney’s struggling property market.
Listing photos of the property show a roof overrun by trees, shrubs and grasses, with a significant network of roots hugging the outside of the building.
Inside the building, you can see where the roots have burst through the ceiling and branch into the wooden floorboards below.
The building viewed from the street.
Sheets of wallpaper are peeling off bedroom walls and mold or grime coats much of what’s left behind.
The bathroom ceiling is full of holes where it meets the walls and the room is splattered with dirt and dust.
Among the grime, an illustration of a mermaid decorates the shower’s still intact glass divider.
Some mystery surrounds the sale as it is not known how the property came to be in its current state, with the selling agent revealing the auction was being held on behalf of a government trustee.
The bathroom roof has significant damage.
The kitchen has yellow and white peeling vinyl tiles.
The kitchen’s wooden floorboards look rotten in places and wall paint is peeling, along with the patchwork of vinyl tiles.
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A birds-eye view of the Chatswood property.
Aerial views of the property show only foliage, with few visible signs of the building itself.
Bricks on the building’s exterior and front wall appear to have become exposed in places and grass has completely grown over the once-dirt driveway.
The extensive damage to the building makes it difficult to approximate how much repairs might cost.
The driveway is overgrown.
Selling agent John Tsironis estimated that repairing the existing dwelling would require a minimum of $300,0000 to $350,000 in works, but a professional building assessment would need to be done to determine the true cost.
Mr Tsironis said he expected the property would likely sell to a developer given the potential for a knockdown rebuild project.
The Chatswood two-bed, one-bath property has been labelled in the listing as a “prime knock down and rebuild opportunity”.
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One of the bedrooms.
The property is on 665 square metres at 31 Kareela Rd and located close to Chatswood High School, public transport and shops.
Property records show comparable-sized blocks in the suburb have sold for between $2.2m and $5.9m in the last year.
The listing comes amid a spate of recent sales involving properties with rundown homes.
A partially burnt down house on 606 King Georges Road in Penshurst sold for $1.3m in April.
A burnt out house at 606 King Georges Road, Penshurst sold for 1.325m in April.
Mr Tsironis could not provide any information about the seller but noted that a government authority is behind the sale.
The property will be up for auction Saturday, 15 August.
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