46 Railway Rd, Rochester, has been put up for private sale at $390,000 after its auction fell short.
A regional Victorian home seller who took the unusual step of selling the house “completely naked” has had the prroperty pass in at auction, despite a surprising amount of interest.
The classic at 46 Railway Rd, Rochester, had it’s interiors laid bare to stop mould developing in wall cavities after flooding in the regional town about 3.5 years ago.
Stripping out plaster to show studs and floors were in good condition became a common sales tactic in the aftermath of the 2022 flood event, but has become increasingly rare with most homes having changed hands by now.
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Luke Ryan Real Estate’s Luke Ryan is handling the listing, with the home now available for offers at $390,000, and said while there had been no bidding as the home went under the hammer — he’d been surprised by the numbers in attendance.
“We had a few more turn up on the day we hadn’t encountered,” Mr Ryan said.
“So it will sell in the near term; we have interest in the property.”
The home’s interiors were largely stripped bare, so buyers could see exactly what they were getting.
Another interior image shows perfectly dry and intact studs.
The agent said the 1906-build had captured buyers’ attention with its 3.6m-high, pressed-metal ceilings, period features like leadlight windows and a cellar below ground, all on a more than 4046sq m allotment.
And while he said there might be some minor stump work needed, the home was otherwise in good condition — which the buyers could see.
“They removed the interiors so it could all dry out properly and no mould would grow,” Mr Ryan said.
“But it’s a great way to buy a house, it’s like seeing the house completely naked. You can see what needs doing and there’s no surprised for anyone.”
The buyer can put plaster up and move in … or take advantage of the situation to change a few things about the home’s layout.
The home is located on a more than 4000sq m allotment.
By contrast, a home bought with the intention of renovation could throw up all manner of surprises once you started to remove plaster from the walls and look at its inner workings, he noted.
Mr Ryan said the stripped-back four-bedroom property had attracted the eye of first-home buyers and downsizers — most planning to put the walls back up after they buy it, though it could easily have the floorplan modified in its current state.
“They could still shift walls and change layouts, before they put the plaster back up,” he said.
The agent added that once reassembled the house would be almost a brand new home.
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