Jacinda Ardern’s Sandringham home is for sale - here’s what not to do at the open home

Open home fans, yes, they exist, your time has come. This is the big one: the holy grail of open home opportunities. Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern’s Sandringham house is on the market.

The sale follows Ardern’s move to Australia with husband Clarke Gayford and daughter Neve earlier this year.

The couple bought the four-bedroom, 1930s bungalow on Cambourne Rd in 2018.

They paid $1.74 million for the 643m² property, which they renovated, with Gayford famously building the deck himself while a stay-at-home dad to baby Neve. It now has a CV of $2.3m, and homes.co.nz estimates it will sell for between $2.15m and $2.41m.

It is for sale by auction which will be held on July 15 at 6pm.

The home appears frequently as the backdrop to home videos in the Emmy Award-winning documentary Prime Minister, which follows Ardern’s tenure in the nation’s top job.

None of this, however, appears in the listing’s blurb. Ray White estate agent Tim Hawes says that’s because he doesn’t expect the sale to be any different from any other.

“At this point in time it’s just a home,” he said. “We had four very normal open homes over the weekend, so I’m not really expecting this one to be much different from any other of our listings.”

Hawes says the property has drawn a lot of interest from families, attracted by its scale and good looks.

There are five more open homes ahead of the auction on July 15. So, if you’re planning to head along, here are five things not to do at Jacinda Ardern’s former Auckland home.

Celebrity visitors

The former PM has hosted several celebrities at the house, including Lorde and former US talk show host Stephen Colbert. With its open-plan living areas and easy connection to the garden, it’s clearly built for entertaining.

Don’t sit in every chair and ask which one Lorde sat in at the barbecue. Quite apart from wasting the agent’s time, it’s weird. Try not to be weird.

State secrets

It will be hard not to imagine all the high-powered discussions and tense political moments that have unfolded over that dining table. Or to get sentimental over this high-powered woman’s more tender moments as a new mum.

Don’t open cupboards, drawers or closets looking for forgotten state secrets, or a chance to scrutinise the former PM’s skincare routine. The family has completely moved out, and the house has been staged. Besides, opening cupboards and drawers is the number one no-no at open homes. Remember what we said about being weird.

Family life

This is a family home, with multiple reception areas, so there’s room for the grown-ups to do their thing and the kids to do theirs. Hawes says that scale has been one of the home’s biggest draws for family buyers. You can even see a wee Wendy house painted to match the tea-green house in the backyard.

Don’t try squeezing into the Wendy house to imagine what it would be like to have the PM for a parent. You’re 45, not 4.

Doco tourism

The house appears frequently in the documentary Prime Minister.

No matter how much you think your TikTok followers want to see it, do not go around the house recreating scenes from the doco for them. If I have to bring up being weird again, we’ll be going home.

Shoes off