The sweet but small interiors of the $37,000 tiny house. Photo: Supplied The drama and emotion of a street auction has pushed many Aussies to overpay for their home under the hammer, but even for one on screen, buyers can get frenzied.
A tiny house built in just three days in New York sparked a bidding war on eBay on Monday, as 19 people pushed the price of the six metre by 2.5 metre home to $US26,600.00 ($AU37,000).
The sale comes as the tiny house movement gains more traction around the world, including Australia, because of soaring housing costs and environmental concerns.
“Taskers” from odd job startup TaskRabbit built the home in just three days. Photo: Supplied
Built as a part of a marketing stunt by tech startup TaskRabbit, a platform which contracts out odd jobs, the fully furnished and functioning micro-abode attracted 72 bids during the week it was listed for sale.
In the last few hours of the listing, 12 bids flew in for the petite pad and in the final minutes, three remaining bidders logged offers just a few hundred dollars apart.
The winning bidder hopefully read the fine print: although built in New York, the property won’t stay at its display location in the glamorous Meatpacking District of Manhattan, which required a temporary permit from the City of New York.
It may be small, but the home comes with everything including the kitchen sink. Photo: Supplied
The buyer will also have to cover the shipping on top of the cost of the house, with the listing warning the cost of delivery would vary depending on where it’s going in the US — Australian shipping was not available.
A group of 10 “taskers” built the home, which includes a fully functioning bathroom and kitchen, furniture, a loft bed, wall art, plants and light fixtures.
Proceeds of the sale will go to a US homelessness charity called Community Solutions.