- A tiny blue crib in Fortrose sold for $370,000, far exceeding its $100,000 RV.
- The property attracted significant interest due to its waterfront location and tidy condition.
- The new owners from Invercargill plan to use it for holidays, while the vendor retains a neighbouring property.
A tiny blue crib in the deep south smashed past its $100,000 RV when it sold at auction just before Christmas.
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The two-bedroom Fortrose property by the sea fetched $370,000 with six registered bidders on the day, said Bayleys agent Vanessa Harvey, who marketed the property with colleague Julie Mitchell.
The RV was so low because the tiny house was registered as two caravans, and not as a dwelling, so the RV was based on the land value only, she said.
The new owners were from Invercargill, about a 35-minute drive away: “They are taking over in a week, and they’re ready to get in there and have some holidays.”
The stylish bach was built in 2021 to accommodate the vendors' children and grandchildren. Photo / Supplied
Most of the enquiries had come from Invercargill and Gore, although there were some from Aucklanders looking to run it as an Airbnb.
While Fortrose was small, it was on the scenic route to the Catlins, so attracted a lot of campervans, Harvey said.
Around 30 groups of people went through the property, which was a lot, she said. “They just loved how tidy it was and that it was ready to move in and that it was on the waterfront. I guess it’s rare now to get a property on the waterfront.”
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The vendor Simon Van Lieshout told OneRoof ahead of the auction that his whānau had enjoyed their holidays in Fortrose, fishing, surfing, and getting to know the local seals.
The property was too small – but they were not really leaving: “We own the neighbouring property as well, and we bought this section, I think, 10 years ago for a bit of parking. We have a lot of friends [and family] with caravans,” he said.
“Then, four years ago, we decided we would put a tiny house on the section, for the kids and the grandchildren. We also rent it out as holiday accommodation.”
Van Lieshout, who owns Advantage Tyre & Battery Shop in Gore, told OneRoof the Catlins housing market was “quite buoyant” and he planned to use the proceeds from the sale on other projects.
The 1012sqm property is mere metres from the beach and water. Photo / Supplied
A striking memory from his time at Fortrose was when he built a staircase from the home down to the water, only for a seal to use it to set up home on the back lawn.
“We ended up having to put a gate in, because the kids wouldn’t go outside if the seals were on the back lawn.”
Agent Julie Mitchell, who has sold in the Gore region for nearly 30 years, said the market there had taken off since Christmas.
She has another tiny home on the market, which she says is proving popular, attracting “massive” interest from people around the country.
The one-bedroom home at 47 Humphries Road was about seven minutes to the west of Gore, sits on 3.93ha and has a price indication in the late $400,000s, she said.
“It’s superb buying for 10 acres and a wee tiny home, and it also has all of the infrastructure – it’s got the water, power and sewerage in. You can build your dream home when you’ve got enough dollars.”
A one-bedroom house on a 3.93ha section at 47 Humphries Road, in Gore, is up for grabs and attracting attention. Photo / Supplied
First-home buyers were out and about in the local market, with the area attracting new arrivals to New Zealand and numerous families from the North Island, Mitchell said.
“Last year, I think I relocated seven families from Tauranga. They’re generally younger people, and I wonder whether some of them have gone from Auckland to Tauranga.
“You can come to Gore and purchase a home for somewhere around $400,000 to $500,000 and live a much better lifestyle down here in the Gore region.
“Your money goes a long way [in Gore] when you’re buying a house.”
And Gore was a wonderful place to live, and reasonably close to Invercargill airport. “We’ve got the arts and heritage, we’ve got music, we’ve got the tramping, the outdoor stuff, we’ve got the lakes that are an hour and a half away, and we’ve got Fiordland just around the corner, and Queenstown just up the road, so we’re quite lucky.”
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