Sugar-coated deal for auction winner

Ian Dowdell is happy with his buy. Photo / Janna Dixon

Sugar plum cottage is the apple of Ian Dowdall's eye.

He successfully bid for the Sandringham house at auction this week, beating three other would-be buyers in a crowd of about 20 couples.

Dowdall, who works in sales and marketing, lodged a winning bid just short of $520,000 about 13 per cent above the official valuation of $460,000 but says there were nerves.

"I think my knee may have been shaking a little."

The house hasn't been on the market for 54 years, according to Dowdall.

He has bought at auction in Wellington, but this was his first in Auckland.

"I think it's a sturdy house to start with. There's plenty of land and those two combined is what attracted me to it."