Land was not a big priority for Lynden and Murray Earl when they went searching for a small Auckland property for their retirement.
The Hamilton-based couple were looking for a small modern apartment or townhouse when they were shown this ground floor apartment -- once part of a grand Edwardian home built in 1904 for an Auckland mayor.
One sweeping look at the apartment's exclusive-use land, and its huge lounge, convinced the Earls to buy the property.
"We immediately fell in love with its character. We live in a villa in Hamilton and this had many of the elements that we love in older houses," says Lynden.
The apartment is one of four in the two-storey brick building, which features a distinctive turret and sits near the top end of St Stephens Ave, close to Parnell Rise.
When the Earls, who are both lawyers, bought the property in 2003 it was leasehold and owned by the Anglican Trust Board.
"We always swore that we would never buy a leasehold property, but this one was so good, we thought we'd better get in."
Three years later they and the other five owners were able to freehold the property, which also has two town houses behind the main house.
The Earls' cross-lease apartment has a level, walled garden that wraps around its north and northwest facing sides and Lynden says having two good car parking spaces also influenced their decision to buy.
Image 1 of 5: This freehold apartment, part of a home built in 1904, offers plenty of character.
These are a single, street-facing garage with a rear door that opens to the apartment's front garden and an off-street parking space that is close to the front door and easily accessible from St Stephen's Ave.
Long-term tenants have lived in the apartment since the Earls bought it.
The apartment is large and well oriented to make the most of its garden and the sun.
A west-facing courtyard, separated from the open carpark by a trellised fence, leads to the front door. This opens to a small, tiled foyer that is used as a breakfast nook and adjoins a northwest facing galley kitchen.
Off these two rooms is a long lounge big enough to be a mini-ballroom. This grand space has a 3.2m stud, two carved wooden ceiling roses, its original tiled fire place, polished wooden floors and a large bay window to one side that provides a semi-separate seating space.
French doors at the north end of the lounge open to a north-facing patio and enclosed lawn that has the garage on one side, a row of citrus trees on the other and a raised vegetable bed that is close to the kitchen.
A double bedroom at the southern end of the lounge has floor-to-ceiling storage cupboards along one wall, and also a 3.2m stud. Its en suite includes a shower, separate bath and a large "cupboard" laundry.
New owners could renovate the kitchen and the bathroom, and Lynden says the garden lends itself to being landscaped in a formal Italian or French style to complement the property's character.
Other than installing sound insulation above the lounge ceiling to cut out noise from the upstairs apartment, the Earls have made few changes.
