Christchurch flat that last sold for $30k could fetch $500k

The house last sold in 1981 for $30,000. Photo: Supplied
The house last sold in 1981 for $30,000. Photo: Supplied
A tiny Christchurch flat could fetch about 16 times what it was last sold for.

The tidy two-bedroom property in the St Albans area of Christchurch has just gone on the market, with a real estate agent headlining its listing as: "Last Sold for $30,000 in 1981."

"Incredibly 40 years on - the time has arrived for the family to sell 1/24 Radnor St," it says.

The 1970s built 90sq m flat goes under the hammer at auction on August 12.

With a 2019 rating value of $365,000, and property information site homes.co.nz estimating it's worth around $505,000, the "front north-facing townhouse" is expected to be popular with first-time buyers.

"This is a nice home with great neighbours, and a real community feel," the listing says.

"Yes; you could do some upgrading but alternatively, live in it and consider these options later."

But the listing has attracted widespread comment online, with a Reddit thread titled "Real estate agents rubbing it in" getting more than 120 comments.

"Taking into account inflation, that $30,000 in 1981 is equivalent to ~$142,000 now," one poster says.

Another says: "I'm trying to think of all the things I could possibly do with the spare cash I'd have if my mortgage was a mere $142,000. I keep coming back to "Scrooge McDuck pool of money."

Last week, it was revealed that an elegant 11-bedroom mansion with sweeping Christchurch city views was going on the market.

The 1928-built Hackthorne Gardens home in the suburb of Cashmere has just been listed for sale and sits on a huge 4034sq m hilltop site in the lower Port Hills.

Yet despite being an historically important, three-storey timber home with views over Christchurch, the ocean and Southern Alps, the city council valued it at only $2.6m in 2019.