Fire sale: Nelson house back on the market, with no agent fees
As is, where is. This three-bedroom family home in Abrahams Valley, Nelson was partially destroyed by fire last November. It had been listed for sale when the fire broke out, and is now back on the market with First National Nelson, which is not charging a fee for the sale.
It's everyone's nightmare – a fire in the house with children upstairs.
But that's what happened to Sarah and Ethan of Abraham Heights, Nelson last November. The couple, with four young children, had spent several weeks prepping their house for sale, working until the wee hours of the morning to get it ready, while also working at jobs during the day.
Just as they were about to hold an open home, while Ethan was at work, a fire broke out beneath the stairwell. Sarah grabbed the two-year-old under one arm, the dog under the under and yelled at the three other children to get out of the house immediately.
The fire started under the stairwell and was caused by a faulty power socket.
Sarah, Terra, 8, Avani 6, Dimitri 5, and Phoenix, 2, were all safe, and so was the family dog Remus. But their lives and their plans had changed forever.
Ethan says heading up the road towards the house is still a trigger for the panic that came over him on the day he raced home from work and saw smoke pouring out everywhere. "I've only managed to get up that road twice since. We have cleared the mailbox occasionally, but that's it.
"It's still a bit sore. It has been hardest for Sarah," Ethan says. "But she was absolutely amazing. She went straight into Mum mode with the kids, who lost everything – their clothes and all their toys that were dear to them. It was hard for the younger ones to understand they couldn't go back into the house to get things.
The family escaped with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. They have not wished to go back to the house since.
"Although they were all upset, the two fire trucks on the road and the police cars brought a lot of excitement that helped to distract them."
Ethan says Sarah's "Mum mode" included organising clothes and bedding. "We went to a motel for two weeks (before moving into a rental). But we had some savings, and that first night we went straight to Kmart and bought a full wardrobe of clothes for the kids, and a change of clothes for ourselves. And then we got stretchers from The Warehouse. It was basically a camping experience for the kids."
Martin Wilkie of First National, the listing agent for the house, says he was also getting ready for the open home and got the unbelievable call to say the house was on fire. He had been working closely with the family, recommending changes and improvements to the house to help get it ready for sale.
The children's bunk beds also remain untouched.
Now, the house is now back on the market, as is, where is, for sale by negotiation. Everything remains as it was left when the family escaped the flames – there are even shoes on the racks in the entry, and smoke-damaged bunk beds in the children's rooms.
NO REAL ESTATE FEE
Wilkie says to help the family get back on their feet, First National is not charging any fee for the sale of the house. "It's not always about the money," he says.
Wilkie also says there is an offer on the house, which is due to go unconditional next week.
But Sarah and Ethan didn't just lose their house – they also lost the chance to buy a dream home they had put in an offer on. They are still looking to buy another property.
Even the family's shoes remain in place in the hallway, near where the fire started.
It will mean they can fetch their dog, a fox terrier cross, back from Lumsden where he is living with a friend. "He's having a ball down on a dairy farm, running around in the snow," says Ethan.
But Ethan admits handing over the dog after the fire, initially to the breeder in Blenheim, was another tough exercise. "That was when Sarah and I broke down, on the way home," he says.
ADVICE FOR OTHER FAMILIES
Not surprisingly, the couple, who did have smoke alarms, would like to pass on some advice to other families. "Sarah's big thing is insurance," says Ethan. "We were fully insured, and have been paid out. And she wants to stress just how important this is. We have mates who say they don't have any insurance, and we say, 'if your house burned down today, would you have any money to replace all those things?'."
These are not the photos listing agent Martin Wilkie planned to show when the house was first listed back in November.
For Ethan, however, it's all about "exits". "People need to have alternate ways to exit the house. The only way out of our house from upstairs, was down the stairs. And the fire started under the stairs, with some faulty '70s wiring to a power socket. So Sarah and three of the children had to go down the stairs to a door that was half-way down. There was no way they would have been able to jump out the window. The windows were far too high."
The couple say they are thankful for all the help they have received from the local community. The kindergarten staff where Sarah works, were especially helpful, preparing meals for the family during the most difficult times.
Meanwhile, Martin Wilkie says the house is an opportunity for another owner to bring it back to life. The site has a great view over Nelson and the hills beyond, and is just five minutes from the city centre.
The house has an RV of $265,000.
This was the kitchen. The windows are boarded up.
The same view before the fire; the owners enjoyed the view from the kitchen sink.
The kitchen was near the bottom of the stairs.
Before the fire - photos had been taken for the open homes.
The master bedroom was tucked beneath the gabled roof.
There's a pretty view from the top deck.
Future buyers can either restore or rebuild.
The views extend right across the city to the hills beyond.
- Homed
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