KEY POINTS:
Nobody wants a tiny pink bach on a waterfront section at Piha.
Owner Cecily Downes of the Gold Coast in Australia did not exactly pick the prime time of the year to list the no-frills bach she has owned for years.
Her agent, Jim Trubuhovich of Barfoot & Thompson's Henderson office, got the listing when the rain was pelting down in July and the surf out the front window was being whipped up by strong, chilling winds.
The classic two-bedroom bach with few pretensions and a water tank out the back has languished on the market ever since. Callers want every other property the agent has except this one.
Mr Trubuhovich blamed lack of interest on months of cold weather combined with the popularity of Piha Rescue, the TV programme showing thrill-seekers sparking daring rescues.
That - and the extremely high price tag. Asked if he had shown anyone through, Mr Trubuhovich laughed - for quite some time. "I've had a couple of calls but no one's been there ... because ... well ... it's $1.5 million," he explained.
Quotable Value lists the land at $770,000 and the entire property at $870,000.
But people should not scoff at the place, the agent warned. Tenants have kept it immaculate and the bach stands on a valuable 1012sq m section and has views of Lion Rock.
Even though Piha had stringent development restrictions, the bach could be pushed to the back of the section and a larger house built at the front, he suggested. He said Cecily Downes was hoping an overseas buyer might be tempted.
The bach is near the Piha Surf Club and across the road from the beach. The large public carpark between the bach and the beach is packed on hot weekends.
Mr Trubuhovich set his Piha beachfront bach sales record two years ago when he got $910,000 "but that was for a demolition job, whereas people might want to keep this place."
