A charming cottage on a soon-to-be developed Woonona block will be spared from the wrecker's hammer, with scores of people expressing an interest in taking the weatherboard beauty away on the back of a truck.
With his wife and three children, Stephen Bird bought the two-bedroom house for its location.
The family spent seven months living in it before moving into a nearby rental as they progress plans to build a duplex on the block.
While the duplex was always his goal, Mr Bird, a school teacher, is intent on seeing the old home go to someone who can make good use of it.
He has received 154 inquiries since listing the house for sale for $40,000 on Facebook Marketplace on Sunday, November 5.
The interested parties include people looking to become first-time homeowners or AirBNB operators, and landholders looking to put a second dwelling on their home for their son or daughter to live in.
"There's a housing crisis at the moment; this is mostly about the opportunity being presented to someone else," Mr Bird said.
"The house just has too many nice features in it to knock down.
"It's got high ceilings, the nice cornices and original oven, panelling throughout - all timber. It just has a really nice, cosy feeling.
"Someone's going to live there. Someone's going to enjoy that place. If you just turn it into dust, what good is it?"
"This is a wasted home that someone could live in and get value out of. It just needs someone to take a bit of TLC."
The Illawarra remains plagued by a shortage of affordable housing, with about 2000 households on the public housing waiting list in Wollongong alone.
Mr Bird said he had been contacted by prospective buyers locally and from across Australia, most of them with one question front of mind: how much will the house cost to move?
The price of home relocations can vary widely, depending on the distance travelled and whether any road closures are required.
There can be the cost of police escort to cover. Anyone relocating the home to a property with a house already on it will need a development application for the second dwelling.
Then there are the costs at the other end - restumping and possibly renovating or remodelling.
"You'd have to contact a transport company to assess the site and see what can and cannot be transported. For example, the chimney can't be transported, so that's got to be demolished on site. " Mr Bird said.
"A lot of people are fascinated by the idea of cutting a house in half and transporting it.
"Any big task can be broken down into small incremental steps. Some people have the diligence and capacity to do that, but other people get lost in the detail and go, 'it's too hard'. That's the reason it's not often done."
Angela Thompson
Proudly Illawarra Mercury since 2008; these days covering crime and justice issues. UOW alum. Thrilled by the chase and sobered by some of the things I see and hear when I stand still - sometimes in the same day. ang.thompson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Proudly Illawarra Mercury since 2008; these days covering crime and justice issues. UOW alum. Thrilled by the chase and sobered by some of the things I see and hear when I stand still - sometimes in the same day. ang.thompson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
