Protected 133-year-old New West 'Gothic' home listed for $1.4M sparks discussion
An interesting home for sale in New West has led to discussion after a listing was shared on social media.
The home, located at 239 Fourth St. in the Queens Park area of New West, was listed just four days ago for $1.4 million.
Astonishingly, the home is 133 years old and, according to the listing, is protected.
While much of the conversation on social media is regarding the $1.4-million price tag, the price actually reflects the most recent assessed value of the home, which is $1,468,000. The house itself only makes up $10,000 of that, with the rest of the value attributed to the land.
Amir Ali/Daily Hive
Before getting into the discussion about the home, let’s check out the listing itself.
Roland Tecson – Sutton Group-West Coast Realty
The home features 2,068 sq. ft. of living space, five bedrooms, and three bathrooms.
Roland Tecson – Sutton Group-West Coast Realty
You can really feel the age of the home when checking out the pictures of the interior. It’s apparent that much of the home is in dire need of some deep, tender, loving care. As many commenters pointed out, there’s a lot of water damage in the home.
Roland Tecson – Sutton Group-West Coast Realty
Roland Tecson – Sutton Group-West Coast Realty
The listing refers to the Victorian Gothic-style residence as a “rare opportunity” and doesn’t shy away from the fact that it needs some work.
“The dwelling has extensive structural deficiencies, is not suitable for occupancy in its present condition, and requires major reconstruction,” it states.
It also refers to the home as a project for someone with vision and experience.
“Offered as-is, where-is. Buyers must review the Structural Condition Assessment and Heritage Values Assessment through their Realtor before requesting a showing,” the listing adds.
The listing mentions that any rehabilitation, alteration, redevelopment or demolition of the property is subject to City of New Westminster approval.
“The stove is seriously awesome though!”
The property has led to much discussion on the Zillow Gone Wild subreddit, and it’s clear there are many fans of the stove.
Roland Tecson – Sutton Group-West Coast Realty
“It’s a protected property, meaning you can’t tear it down or change much about it,” one Redditor said. “The stove is seriously awesome though! And it has nice wood floors. It’s a take it down to the studs project. But, at least it could be upgraded with all the modern tech.”
“That old stove is super cool. I’d save it then have to bulldoze the whole thing down,” someone else said.
In response, someone claiming to be a local resident said that many protected properties “mysteriously” burn down.
“You aren’t paying for the house in that area. It’s all about the land,” someone else chimed in.
One user suggested it was probably once “a beauty.”
“If I had a god-awful amount of money, I would love to fix it up to former glory, you can tell it was a beauty in its day. Plus the location is hella nice.”
Others had… darker reflections.
One comment said, “I can practically smell the damp cigarettes and rodent pee from here!”
“It’s the kind of house you’d see in a movie where the family discovers dead bodies in the walls,” another Redditor said.
What about you? If you had the money, would this be a fun restoration project?