Going, going, gone went the houses, but the Otago community will benefit from a charity auction held in Dunedin on Saturday.
Three homes built by carpentry students went under the hammer of auctioneer Warwick Grimmer in the fourth annual Otago Polytechnic-Metro Realty charity house auction.
A three-bedroom house sold for $131,000, followed by a four-bedroom home for $140,000, and then the feature attraction, a four-bedroom home complete with donated fittings and furnishings, sold for $173,000.
Melissa Park, who successfully bid for the charity home with her father, Garry, said it was likely the home would be transported to Central Otago, possibly Naseby.
Otago Polytechnic spokesman Mike Waddell said the sale of the first two homes enabled the polytechnic to recoup costs, and the sale of the charity home allowed it to return $90,000 to the community while providing experience for its students.
The previous three charity auctions had returned more than $250,000, which were given to United Way New Zealand for redistribution to Otago charities.
United Way New Zealand chief executive Don Oliver said the success of the charity auction was now being copied by other polytechnics in Manawatu and Canterbury.
In addition, the worldwide president of United Way, an international charity that works to improve the quality of life for millions of people by focusing on education, income and health, had visited Otago Polytechnic earlier this year to view the project.
Money raised from this year's auction would be distributed to Otago charities in June next year.
