It’s a tale as old as time in the property game: buy low, renovate hard, sell high.
But for seasoned property investor Charles Corby, his latest acquisition in Drysdale, near Geelong, came with a pungent, furry, and frankly, heartbreaking surprise that left his tradesmen gagging and raised confronting questions about pet welfare in distressed sales.
Known for his knack of transforming derelict dwellings into desirable homes, Mr Corby secured the Drysdale property for $430,000 in a lightning-fast 24-hour distressed sale.
The house was, by all accounts, a fixer-upper.
What he didn’t bargain for was the overwhelming stench of cat urine and rat faeces that permeated every fibre of the home, nor the living and deceased inhabitants left behind.
“There were at least three cats, maybe four, still roaming the home and yard after the sale went unconditional and we took possession,” Mr Corby recounted.
“The house had a very strong smell of cat urine; it made some of my trades vomit in the driveway.”
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A recent property acquisition in Drysdale, near Geelong, has exposed the confronting realities of distressed home sales, with a developer discovering abandoned cats and a pervasive stench of animal waste.
The remains of deceased pets were also discovered on site.
The olfactory assault was just the beginning.
As the clean-up commenced, a small silver tin labelled ‘Oscar’ was discovered, believed to contain the ashes of a family pet.
Then, a builder made an even more confronting find: the remains of another animal in the yard.
“It does feel a bit strange to come across a carcass and not have any emotional connection to it,” Mr Corby mused.
“At some point, though, that cat clearly meant enough to someone to be buried on the property. It’s nice to think the family shared memories with it, but at the same time, it’s a little contradictory that the live cats were left behind.”
A trail of cat food and unanswered questions
Adding to the mystery, Mr Corby observed shopping bags filled with opened cat food in the hallway during one visit.
“We suspect the previous owner had returned at some point to feed the cats?” he pondered. The selling agent was notified twice about the abandoned animals, which eventually disappeared.
“We hope the owner returned to collect them, but the experience raised broader questions for us,” he said.
Corby bought the home for $430,000 in a lightning-fast 24-hour distressed sale.
The property was severely damaged.
Beyond the feline residents, the property was also overrun with a significant rat infestation. “There were so many rats in the roof that we know the cats would not have had a problem if left to their own devices,” Mr Corby explained.
“The smell of rat poo, and cat urine, was so strong that you could barely breathe walking in the front door. We had to get an exterminator in and even replace the insulation and ceiling because of the rat poo.”
The grim discoveries continued.
“Given that there was a den in the yard under some branches, we suspect we may uncover more cats on the property as the renovation and landscaping continues,” he added, highlighting a potential link to the stray cat epidemic.
“The cats seemed happy, calm and friendly, so we know they were well fed, looked after and loved, which makes the circumstances here even more sad. I’m glad the cats got picked up by the owner in the end, but I could imagine that’s not always the case unfortunately.”
Corby, an animal lover, says the sale has raised real questions about what support exists for pet owners who may be struggling to make arrangements for their animals at time of sale?
The kitchen has also seen better days.
For Mr Corby, who has purchased over thirty properties, this was a first.
“I’ve never come across this before,” he stated.
“Moving house can be such a stressful time that you would assume pets are the one thing that owners can take with them to give them comfort. We saw the cats at the inspection but just assumed naturally that they wouldn’t be left behind for settlement! We notified the agent and they told us they had let the owner know.”
The incident begs the question: In situations where homes must be sold quickly, what support exists for pet owners who may be struggling to make arrangements for their animals? Are pets becoming unintended casualties of housing distress?
“We get surprised every single day”
Mitchell Falzon of The Geelong Agency, the selling agent for the property, admitted that pets being left behind wasn’t a regular occurrence.
“But, we certainly get surprised every single day by what we see and the problems we have to solve to get a property sold,” he said.
Even the backyard needs a good reno.
Corby and his team will have their hands full with this one.
Mr Falzon shed light on the often-complex human element behind such situations.
“In most cases, issues like this stem from a seller or occupant who is going through some really tough psychological, emotional or financial times – so we always try to be considerate, and of course, support the new purchaser when they’re left with responsibilities dumped on them by the seller.”
The Drysdale property, now undergoing a significant transformation, serves as a stark reminder that behind every distressed sale, there are often deeply personal stories, and sometimes, unexpected furry inhabitants caught in the crossfire.
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