The Mt Eden property first made headlines in 2020 when human remains were found during construction. Photo / Supplied, Trade Me
The Mt Eden property first made headlines in 2020 when human remains were found during construction. Photo / Supplied, Trade Me
A Mt Eden villa beneath which human bones were discovered encased in concrete during renovations is now on the market.
An advert on Trade Me by Sotheby's International says the multi-storey, five-bedroom "family home" on Marlborough Street - which has a rateable value of $2.4 million - is a "grandcharacter masterpiece" for prospective buyers.
But the Mt Eden property made headlines in 2020 when human remains were found buried in the foundations.
Police confirmed in September 2020 that the remains belonged to the previous house owner, David Stanley Hart, described as a "recluse" who had gone missing at least a decade earlier.
No comment on the home's history has been mentioned in the advertising, but real estate agent Louise De Martin says "we aren't trying to hide what has happened, but it is also not something we would say is the main selling point of the property".
"We are planning to front-foot the disclosure of the house's history with all interested attendees and buyers. We also want to highlight that this is now a beautiful home for a family to live in. It has been blessed and respected in what has happened but now it's time for a new start on the property," she said.
Real Estate Authority (REA) chief executive Belinda Moffat told the Herald earlier that when a violent crime or unnatural death has occurred at a property for sale, it may be referred to as a "sensitive issue".
"Whether or not sensitive issues ought to be disclosed must be considered based on the specific facts of each case and what the vendor is comfortable disclosing," she said.
The room under which human remains were found was fully removed during renovations of the $2.4 million villa. Photo / Supplied
Police cordon the Marlborough St property where David Hart's remains were found in 2020. Photo / Alex Burton
De Martin observed that a lot of properties have had people die in them.
"Some people will be deterred but obviously, there are lots of people that won't be. I expect that the current market factors would be something that we are more worried about."
De Martin said that often some people tend to be more interested in properties that have had an interesting history. "We have had good interest but nobody has highlighted that the history of the property is why they are inquiring yet," she said.
"This is a cold case, there aren't hard facts around it, and while there were remains found on the property, it would be speculation for us to talk any further on where it went from that."
De Martin said that "while the property has a history, we want to reassure people that all the proper activities, authorities and forensic stuff that happened when this came to light have been completed. Now, it has been brought back to its full former glory as a character home in Mt Eden."
The villa, at 3 Marlborough St, Mt Eden, begins open homes tomorrow and will be sold in auction on November 13.
History of 3 Marlborough St
Before his disappearance, Hart ran the property as a boarding house where ex-criminals and elderly alcoholics were common among his clientele.
Once Hart had gone missing, the boarding house was taken over by a regular tenant, Gabriel D'Angelo, who spent time in a maximum security prison in the early 80s. D'Angelo died at the property on September 26, 2016.
Hart's neighbours described him as a recluse and someone "you'd sort of avoid in the street. He was one of those guys who thought he knew everything about everything."
The current owner brought the house in 2017, almost three years before Hart's remains were discovered.
