An old embassy house on Culgoa Circuit in O'Malley has been described as "pretty tricky" after sitting on the market for eight months. Real estate agent Alexander Anlezark said it's a complex property to sell.
The house is still set up as an embassy and would require major renovations to turn it into a place to live, he said. He's taken four buyers through the home, but none have made serious offers.
"[The buyers] appeared serious but once they got to the house, because all of them want it for a main residence, it's pretty tricky," he said.
The property housed the Slovakian embassy until it closed in 2022. The Slovak government announced in May 2024 the embassy would reopen in a new location in Canberra.
On the market for $3.5 million, the house has more than 770 square metres of internal living, nine bedrooms, three kitchens and a multi-car garage.
The listing describes the property as being "well-suited to an embassy or conversion to a family home or high-yielding rental".
The property includes 2300 square metres of land, with an unimproved land value of $1.8 million in 2023.
The highest offer the real estate had received by July 2024 was $2.5 million.
Mr Anlezark said the availability of similar properties in the area makes the house a challenging sell.
The median price for a house in O'Malley is about $2.3 million, according to CoreLogic data.
Mr Anlezark says many of the house's rooms are interconnected.
"Technically, I think we've got it advertised as nine bedrooms, but I went through there the other day and counted, I think I got about 15," he said.
"It's just your interpretation, because a lot of the rooms are technically classed as an office, but they're sizable enough to be a bedroom."
The surrounding neighborhood hosts several embassies.
Mr Anlezark said the property could be rented out, with returns of about $1500 a week. The property could also be rented out by room to students or hospital workers.
"I do think it will sell, but it's just got to find the right buyer, someone who appreciates the uniqueness and size of it because I think it's 700 odd square meters," he said.
