A shocking inner west house needing at least $500,000 in repairs to make it inhabitable is set to go to auction in one of the more bizarre sales seen this year.
The property on Wallace St in Marrickville has an interior littered with pieces of crumbling ceiling and wall plaster.
Abandoned furniture is spread across the house and both the backyard and front is a mess of junk, including old car tires.
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An orange beacon, or “witch’s hat”, has been placed in front of a gaping hole in the floor where the rotting wood has given in.
A layer of rust covers the entirety of the corrugated iron roof, which appears to have warped in places.
The deceased estate was understood to have been left to languish vacant and unattended for many years, but details remain murky over exactly how it came to deteriorate into its current state.
Selling agent Dean Vasil of Ray White Earlwood said the property is too unsafe to occupy as is and will need pricey repairs.
No price guide has been made available and the agent revealed the executers of the estate were awaiting more feedback from buyers to determine what the price expectations would be.
Co-agent Kieran Gianoudis said it was impossible to know just how much would need to be spent on a restoration, adding that the most conservative estimate was at least $500,000.
“Pretty much everything needs redoing. The brick, the walls, the floors,” he said. “Some first homebuyers are interested … they may be coming in with a number in their head like $600,000 or $700,000.”
There was also interest from buyers wanting to knock the house down and replace it with a modern build, but such a move would need to get the green light from local council.
Mr Vasil said the level of interest in the property was surprising given recent increases in building costs and tradie shortages.
He credited the interest to the larger block size for the area and an ongoing shortage of houses available for sale.
“It’s not a traditional spring selling season,” he said. “People are holding off selling to see where the market is going.”
The Marrickville property will go to auction on October 29.