Leaning Townhouse of Melbourne

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a well known tourist attraction. A slight lean might make a 12th-century Italian landmark charming. But in this Melbourne townhouse, it makes us run for the door rather than the camera.

Once we looked more closely, the concerns went beyond character. The apparent movement, sticky doors, misaligned cabinet door, together with other issues identified during our assessment, raised questions about what might be happening beneath the cosmetic finishes, and what the eventual repair bill could look like.

So while millions travel to Pisa to admire a building that leans, this was not the time to buy Melbourne's version. We recommended our client walk away. Sometimes the best buying decision isn’t negotiating another $20,000 off. It is recognising when the property itself is giving you a pretty strong hint to keep walking. And for this, because it is a townhouse, it will cost way more to fix. Just like the stabilisation work done at Pisa.