Wife gives husband 67 reasons why they should buy town’s most expensive home

- A 150-year-old lodge in Lawrence sold for $1.225 million, setting a town record.

- Lisa Schwanecke convinced her husband with 67 reasons to buy the seven-bedroom property.

- The couple will use it as a holiday home and short-term rental until their retirement.

A 150-year-old lodge in the small South Island town of Lawrence has sold for a record-breaking $1.225 million. But the deal almost didn't happen.

New owner Lisa Schwanecke told OneRoof that convincing her husband to buy Marama Lodge wasn't easy. In the end, she had to give him 67 reasons why she wanted it before he finally agreed.

Lisa said she fell in love with the seven-bedroom home on Sowerby Street last year when she spotted it for sale online.

She and her husband Konrad weren’t in a position to buy it at the time, but almost a year later, she persuaded him to take a road trip from their home in the Wairarapa to view it in person.

The couple had never visited the Otago town, which has a population of about 500, but Lisa believed it would be the perfect spot for their retirement. “It felt peaceful. Like coming home,” she said.

The owners carried out an extensive four-year renovation on the 150-year-old lodge. Photo / Supplied

The large kitchen included a scullery. Photo / Supplied

However, Konrad wasn't so sure. “He was just not feeling it. He couldn’t understand my thinking,” she said.

On the trip back home, they had a big fight over it. Konrad asked her to give him some good reasons why they should buy it. While they were waiting to catch the Interislander ferry, she wrote down 67.

Her reasons ranged from the size of the rooms to all the amenities in the town. “Everything about it spoke to me.”

She said her long list was hard to argue against, and Konrad finally agreed they should put in an offer.

Discover more:

- Invercargill's 'worst house' sells for $154,000 after bidding war

- Shortland Street star turns down CV-busting offer for her home

- US buyers frustrated they can't buy South Island manor with climbing wall

That offer was rejected, but their next one, of $1.225m, was accepted.

However, Konrad’s work as an orthopaedic surgeon meant he needed to remain in Wairarapa, so the couple have decided to turn the lodge into their holiday home as well rent it out as a short-term let until they eventually retire there.

“It’s a pity. I wish we could move in straight away, but unfortunately, that’s not possible. So, we will enjoy it and share it with other people.”

Vendors Nicky McSwiggan and her husband George also relocated from the North Island to Lawrence over five years ago. However, they had decided to sell so they could be closer to their four children, who are living overseas.

The new owners' adult children will stay in the self-contained cottage on the property when they visit. Photo / Supplied

Nicky told OneRoof that the couple had fallen in love with the town's history and atmosphere.

“For a small town, it’s got a tremendous amount of old houses. It’s got a lot of character.”

She looked at several old buildings before settling on Marama Lodge. The property was initially built in 1875 by two friends who struck gold in the gold rush and later ran a successful merchant’s business. It was later converted into an orphanage in the 1940s before being transformed back to a family home for foster children in the 1960s.

It changed hands several times before the McSwiggans moved in. They took it on as a renovation project. “We replaced the roof and added a new ceiling and new walls. We just had to strip it back to bare bones and start again. It was a big undertaking. We were there five years, but it took us four years to renovate the place.”

Bayleys listing agent Lucy Hibbert-Foy said Marama Lodge was a spectacular asset for Lawrence and deserved its top price.

Sycamore House, on Peel Street, in Lawrence, has an asking price of $1.349m. Photo / Supplied

The property was previously run as a bed and breakfast. Supplied

It beat the town's previous sale price record of $650,000, for a 167sqm home on a 1720sqm section on Lancaster Street.

Hibbert-Foy said Lawrence was a hidden treasure with lots of character homes that were still extremely affordable compared to other parts of the country. “It’s totally underrated. There are such beautiful character homes.”

Hibbert-Foy, like the Schwaneckes and McSwiggans, is relatively new to Lawrence, moving there from Brisbane just three years ago.

She has noticed an uptick in interest in the town from North Island buyers, and raves about its location, scenery, and amenities. “Property is cheap here compared to elsewhere, and it’s the gateway to central Otago,” she said.

“Since I moved here, there have been lots of newbies in town, and there’s a positive feel."

Marama Lodge may not hold its record for long if a historic homestead with an asking price of $1.349m manages to hook a buyer.

Harcourts listing agent Shelley Krieger said the seven-bedroom property was built in the 1880s by a goldminer and was well-known in the town.

Krieger said buyers from Auckland and Australia had shown interest in the property. "Most of the people looking here want to retire, have money in the bank, and be free from traffic."

- Click here to find more properties for sale in Lawrence