Aleisha Dawson, Property Journalist
The Queensland property at 66 Boxgrove Ave, Wynnum is going to auction on November 14.
A rundown house in Queensland packed floor-to-ceiling with thousands of books, nesting pigeons and resident snakes is set to go under the hammer.
The deceased estate in Brisbane’s Bayside is a raw canvas for builders and renovators ready to start from scratch.
The home belonged to an independent, highly talented musician and librarian who lived without children.
Ray White Bulimba sales agent and auctioneer Zoe O’Connor is marketing the three-bedroom home and said behind the post-war facade lies a story “as eccentric as it is extraordinary”.
“The home belonged to an independent, highly talented musician and librarian who lived without children and surrounded herself with an astonishing personal library,” Ms O’Connor said.
“She was an incredibly gifted, fascinating lady.
“The house was quite literally packed floor to ceiling with many, many thousands of books.”
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After the owner went into care, nature began moving in alongside the collection, Ms O’Connor said.
“To say it was chock-a-block is an understatement — it was on another level,” Ms O’Connor said.
“Between the wasps, pigeons nesting in the ceiling cavity, and a few snakes in the yard that had made themselves right at home, it took multiple teams just to clear the space.
“Many books, vinyl records and CDs were salvaged and donated to the University of Queensland or sent overseas, but much of the home had been reclaimed by the elements.”
Ms O’Connor said while the house, in Wynnum, was widely seen as a complete knockdown, its underlying value sits in the ground beneath it.
While the house is widely seen as a complete knockdown, its underlying value sits in the ground beneath it.
Positioned on the elevated high side of the street, the 405 sqm block is close to Wynnum Golf Club, the Bayside Esplanade, transport links, and local village cafes.
“Neighbours and local builders are already keeping a sharp eye on the boundary fence ahead of the first open home this Saturday,” she said.
“It’s certainly not a luxury mansion right now, but the potential is enormous.
The house sits on a 405sq m block in Wynnum’s sought-after Golf Course Avenues.
“Post-war homes on elevated blocks in the (Golf Course) Avenues don’t come along often, especially with this kind of clean-slate appeal.
“Whether a builder wants to knock it down and craft a dream Bayside residence or someone takes on an ambitious project, it has to go on or before auction day.”
The property goes to auction on November 14 at the Ray White Collective in-room auction event at The Calile Hotel.
Realestate.com.au data reveals the median house price in Wynnum is $1.4075m.
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