The Queenstown home of John Beckenridge, who went missing with his stepson, Mike, in March last year, has been sold for $860,000.
Real estate agent Brendan Quill said the property at Lake Hayes Estate was sold at auction today for $160,000 more than its listed capital value. He was not permitted to name the buyer.
He said there was a lot of interest in the house. It was sold "as is, where is" because of several minor issues, including gas appliances, that had not received final sign-off from the district council.
Mr Beckenridge and Mike Zhao-Beckenridge disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Mr Beckenridge broke a court order to pick up 11-year-old Mike from his new Invercargill school on March 13 last year.
A week later, Mr Beckenridge's Volkswagen went off a 90m cliff into the sea near Curio Bay in the Catlins, the coastal region at the southeastern corner of the South Island.
The police said last month there had been no confirmed sightings of Mike or his stepfather since March 17 last year. They are still actively investigating what they consider to be a missing persons case.
Many Catlins residents and friends and neighbours of Mr Beckenridge believe he staged their deaths and that they are hiding in New Zealand or overseas.
Mr Beckenridge and friend Ulf Roger Henricson had owned the house as trustees of the Ozprey Trust.
Mr Quill said his firm, Hoamz, was acting in the sale for the Public Trust as a trustee of the Ozprey Trust.
Until they separated, Mr Beckenridge lived at the 271sq m, three-bedroom house with his wife, Mike's mother, Fiona Lu.
Ms Lu last year took legal action after her solicitors received a letter stating Mike had been excluded as a beneficiary of the trust that owned the house. She sought to have the Public Trust appointed.
Fairfax Media reported that funds from the sale are likely to be held in a trust until Mr Beckenridge is declared dead or other legal action is taken.
