After nearly 50 years in the one family, a post-war red brick house less than 200 metres from the Continental Pools in Wollongong will go under the hammer next month.
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Just who will take ownership of 5 Georges Place next is shaping up to be a hot contest, with more than 100 enquiries flooding in after the property was placed on the market earlier this week.
Sean O'Connor of The Agency said it was rare for a house, rather than a unit, to become available so close to the harbour, beaches and CBD.
"It's a lovely big home with a lot of character, and an ideal proposition for someone looking to renovate, extend upstairs or build their dream home," he said.
"From the living area as it stands now you can see the ocean, so if you went up one more level you would get magnificent ocean views all up and down the coast."
The four-bedroom bungalow, built just after World War II and never renovated, sits on a 471sqm north-facing block, just footsteps from Cliff Road and a short trek to Crown Street Mall.
Ian David, who is helping to sell the family home on his mother's behalf after she recently moved into an aged care facility, admitted it was hard to part with.
"If I had the money I'd buy it myself," he said. "I wouldn't let it go, but we're just not in that situation."
His mum and stepdad, Beverley and Noel Yeomans, bought the house in 1974, and growing up with his two brothers in such a central location was every bit as good as it sounds.
As a kid, he would get into his wetsuit and stroll down to Wollongong Harbour with nothing in his hands but his spear fishing gear. There was no need to pack a towel or a change of clothes when you lived so close to the water.
"It was an absolutely fantastic place to live - we're all members of the surf club, we walked everywhere, it was great," he said.
"It was a very easy, comfortable place to live, we always felt safe and never had issues."
Mr David said his mother saw many changes to the neighbourhood over the years and not only accepted that development was part and parcel of inner-city living, but got in on the action, buying the block next door from the Catholic Church to put up units.
Likewise, when thousands of people traipsed across her front lawn on New Year's Eve and Australia Day, you would never hear her grumble.
"It was something we accepted and knew it came with the area," Mr David said. "You could always sit back and complain or you could be part of it, and that's what we tended to do."
The auction will take place on June 17 at 6pm, with inspections on Saturday, Tuesday and next weekend.
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