APARTMENTS 2C, 2C1, 2C2, 2C3,
11 GEORGE STREET,
NEWMARKET.
SIZE: 195sq m plus 35sq m of deck.
PRICE INDICATION: Agent Rob McCarthy says: "You couldnt build it for $1.7 million." Body corp fees: $11,840.37 (for all four apartments). Auction May 28.
INSPECT: Sat/Sun 12-1pm.
ON THE WEB: www.open2view.co.nz #181256.
CONTACT: Rob McCarthy, McCarthy Real Estate, ph 021 993 573.
FEATURES: Freehold Newmarket apartment overlooking the Domain, with three studios opening off secure foyer.
Main apartment has kitchen looking over long dining area, lounge and full-width deck. Two basement carparks. Building contains gym, spa, sauna and shower/dressing rooms. Only 1km to Auckland Grammar, 250m to Newmarket, 2km to university.
What is it about mothers-in-law that they are the butt of so many jokes?
Here they are again in the blurb for these four parkside apartments, all being sold on the one title. "Suit family with adult students at university, suit family with two or three mothers-in-law (or
ex-partners). Suit owner-occupier investor."
Seriously, though, these apartments do make up a combo that would suit a large or an extended family - as well as being an attractive proposition for a home and income, or a rental/investment.
The sale includes one large apartment (about 140sq m) with three bedrooms, and three smaller one-bedroom apartments, all with locking doors opening off a shared foyer. They are on the third level of an attractive George Street building opposite the Domain, zoned for the grammar schools, and within easy walking distance of the university. A family with varsity-aged children would enjoy the layout using the smaller apartments as bedrooms, as parents and teenagers would have privacy but still be connected.
Agent Rob McCarthy, who is marketing the apartments for the Nairobi-based vendor, says some people have trouble getting their heads around the concept. "I tell them to think of it [as] having a bloody big villa in Epsom and you've chopped off parts into flats."
All the apartments are tenanted. One tenant, Lara Labudde, said she had been used to living in larger homes and downsizing did take some adjustment at first. But now she's happy here and wonders aloud: "Why am I assisting selling this? I want to stay. This is a good building and a lot of nice people live here."
Her apartment space has a kitchenette with a washing machine under the bench as you enter. Then there is the bedroom/living space, balcony and en suite with toilet and shower.
She says she makes good use of the gym on the ground floor, which also has a spa, sauna, balcony, shower and toilets. "It doesn't get too busy like some gyms in bigger buildings."
Michelle Cutelli-Male, who owns another apartment on the ground floor of the building, says she loves having the Domain on her doorstep. "We rarely have to use our car as we work from home and the park is opposite. We use the Domain every day. I have a little boy who loves the duck pond, the gardens, the museum. The city is only a 10-minute walk away, and Parnell and Newmarket are even closer. The hospital is just five minutes from here."
The apartments at 2C are on the third level of the concrete building and are accessed by lift or stairs. They sit on the northern side of the building and all have balconies and an en suite for every bedroom.
The main apartment has a glorious view over the Domain, in all its autumn splendour. There is a large living area with kitchen, three bedrooms, three en suites and balcony.
A quirky feature is the master bedroom's en suite, with a sliding panel between the two rooms.
On the balcony, sliding doors track to the side and two sliding shuttered panels provide shade and privacy.
Rob says the three smaller apartments have been renting for $40,040 per annum total, and the main apartment has been bringing in $800 a week. The vendor is selling because he now lives in Nairobi and doesn't plan on returning to Newmarket.
