2g/39 Mackelvie Street. Photo / Supplied
Location was everything when Henry Minogue bought this modern two-bedroom apartment in Grey Lynn's Mackelvie St four years ago.
"I had lived in the area for three years and all my work is mainly in Ponsonby and Grey Lynn," the plumber says. Plumbing World is literally across the road. A gym is next door.
Also, once the working hours were over, restaurants, bars and cafes on Ponsonby Rd — Longroom, Chapel and Ponsonby Social Club are his preferred haunts — were just a few minutes stroll away.
If it was time to eat, he would head to the Ponsonby Food Court, or for cooking there was fresh produce at Ponsonby Central, as well as the supermarket just up the road.
After two and a half years, Henry moved out of the apartment, to go to Europe.
"When I came back, I started flatting with friends. It made sense to rent this out rather than paying the mortgage myself."
Although location was paramount, he also liked the design of the apartment, with two spacious bedrooms and two bathrooms.
"And also there are two safe, secure car parks, which is rare in this area. It meant that all my tools were safe downstairs."
The tilt-slab concrete constructed apartments, with Hardiplank boards on the apartment's back entrance wall, were still relatively new, having been built about 12 years ago.
"I did put in some shelving by the laundry but that was all that was needed."
Henry's apartment is on level two of the four-level building, with about 28 apartments in the complex. From the Mackelvie St entrance, you can take the stairs or lift in the central stairwell and then the access to Henry's apartment is along an open covered balcony with central void.
The front door opens to the kitchen, which has wooden flooring, F&P dishwasher, Classique oven and Whirlpool fridge. This is in the same open-plan area as the carpeted dining and lounge area that then opens to the east-facing balcony running in front of the lounge and master bedroom.
Both the master and second bedroom effectively have a bathroom each. A bonus is the large mirrored-door wardrobes in each bedroom.
"The apartment is easy to clean, you just quickly vacuum and mop," says Henry.
He says the apartment gets lots of direct sun from the morning to the early afternoon.
"It's so warm here in the summer."
There are sun blinds in the lounge and the master bedroom.
He thinks his apartment would appeal to a young couple working in the city who want to "be close to all the action".
"When I was living here, there were mainly young professionals in their late 20s and 30s. Not really any families."
The body corp is run by Auckland Property Management and the chairman lives in the building. The apartments are freehold.
"That was important as I didn't want to be paying a leasehold."
Henry is selling because he wants to buy a house.
2G/39 MACKELVIE ST, GREY LYNN
• 2 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, 2* parking spaces.
• Land 75sq m.
• Inspect: Sat/Sun, noon to 12.30pm.
• Auction: July 25, 12.30pm, 136 Broadway, Newmarket.
• Body corp: $6133.62 a year.
• Contact: Steve Stone, Ray White, steve.stone@raywhite.com, 021 966 499, oneroof.co.nz
*Tandem.