It's just what the doctor ordered

150 SELWYN AVE, MISSION BAY

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1*

SIZE: Land 807sq m, house approx 161sq m

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected above CV of $1.21 million

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1.30pm-2pm. Tender closes April 2

ON THE WEB: barfoot.co.nz/517482

SCHOOL ZONES: Kohimarama School, Selwyn College

CONTACT: Philip Davis and Nicola O'Brien, ph 021 873 934, 021 655 985

FEATURES: * plus 3 off-street parks.

It's been the beating heart of the Atlas family for more than 40 years. Former nurse Yenny Atlas has lived here that long, since moving in with her late husband George, a doctor, in the 70s. They came to Auckland to work at Middlemore Hospital, deciding to initially rent the house.

Their landlord eventually said he wanted to sell it and the couple chose to buy rather than move. "I liked that the sunshine that came through it," says Yenny. "Our Landlord took all the money we'd paid in rent off the price."

George went on to operate a St Johns GP practice, with Yenny as his nurse, and together they brought up daughters Bianka and Astrid.

The property's wide road frontage stretching around a corner of the avenue bodes well for sites with stand-alone driveways. It enjoys views stretching across to the central Auckland skyline and the green expanse of Bastion Point.

Yenny recalls: "We thought it was quite handy to the beach." Although her husband couldn't swim and she favoured fresh-water swimming.

There's a touch of faded glory about the exterior of the weatherboard 1930s bungalow.

Many of its remaining character features are displayed inside in a super-sized old-world living room. Yenny says: "We understand a single man built this house and he was mad on billiards, and that's why he built this big sitting room."

Image 1 of 7: 150 Selwyn Ave, Mission Bay.

The room has wooden floors, a beamed ceiling and lots of leadlight windows, including a circular one. Others accent two window seats, including a fine corner specimen. The sitting room's timber picture rails and extra-wide skirting boards are reminiscent of a bygone era. "People always say, 'Oh, what a nice room', because of its size and feel."

There's more space in the master bedroom. It was enlarged in the mid-80s, assimilating a beamed smaller room which had previously been George's library for medical texts.

Yenny still wants a home with at least a couple of bedrooms, but would like to relocate somewhere with smaller grounds.