Bondi hoarders house up for auction for third time

Bondi hoarders house up for auction for third time
Jonathan ChancellorDecember 8, 2020

The Bobolas family’s notorious Bondi hoarder house is set for November 22 auction, the third attempt by the NSW sheriff to forcibly sell the property. 

The Californian bungalow last sold to Mary Bobolas in 1973 for $15,000.

There were $2 million hopes the last time it was listed.

Ric Serrao, of Raine & Horne Double Bay, has been enlisted again to sell the 550 square metre property, but without any public buyers’ guide.

The Boonara Avenue property was offered to buyers in mid-2016 but the auction was cancelled at the last minute when the family produced enough funds to pay off part of their debt to council for their continual clean-ups.

The property offers proximity to the beach, cafes, restaurants, shops and public transport.

No inspections of the home are scheduled given safety issues.

The buyer will be responsible for securing vacant possession and the rubbish removal, Serrao told The Daily Telegraph.

There have been periodic night time sightings of family members at the property.

When it was listed in 2015, around 63 contracts were issued, but the Bobolas family again managed to come up with the money just hours before the auction.

There are currently five writs on title, totalling more than $248,000 worth of council clean-up charges and legal fees.

A 2008 study by John Snowdon, professor of psychological medicine at the University of Sydney, showed a increasing prevalence of cases of severe domestic squalor.

This article was first published in The Daily Telegraph.

Jonathan Chancellor

Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.

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