ANNANDALE · OPEN HOME
219 Nelson Street, Annandale
How to live debt free in 2026 - Subdivide and sell the house you don't need.
17 October 2026
If I had to name a street in Annandale that feels like there’s always a house for sale, I’d say Nelson or Young Street.
Nelson Street is one of my favourites. There are so many great houses along here that you’d never know from looking at their often unassuming façades. I’ve been through quite a few homes on Nelson over the years, and my favourite still remains the warehouse at 22 Nelson Street.
219 Nelson Street is probably one of the most charming houses along the street.
When I saw the listing and the sign go up, I was pretty excited to finally poke my head inside. From the street it looks huge, with its double frontage.
It’s also one of those houses I walk past all the time. Some days I walk down Nelson Street; other days I like to mix it up and take Nelson Lane instead.
OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR
One of the things I love about this part of Annandale is how easily life spills onto Booth Street. From Nelson Street, I can wander down, grab a coffee or a pastry and find somewhere to sit for a while. Precinct 37, Cherry Moon, The Corner Shop — there’s enough going on that I never really have a plan. I just head towards Booth Street and see where I end up.
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There has always been a house down Nelson Lane that fascinated me — 219 Nelson Lane — and for years I wondered how it related to the house at the front.
A little digging before the inspection answered that.
219 Nelson Street last sold in 2015 on a much larger 428m² parcel for $2.52M. You can see the old listing here.
That sale even made the news, with reports that the buyers planned to live in the smaller home on Nelson Lane and rent out the larger Nelson Street house.
Most recently, a subdivision application was lodged in June 2026. The front house is now on a much smaller parcel and is back on the market. This makes me wonder if this is how you pay off your debt and mortgage in 2026?
Inside the open home
I attended the first open home on Saturday 17 October after grabbing a coffee at Precinct 37, one of my favourites on Booth Street.
It was an easy three-minute walk to the house and, as soon as I stepped through the front door, I was in love.
I started planning Christmas — which was less than ten weeks away.
The freshly painted house was sparkling that day in all its glory.
Three large white bedrooms sit at the front, followed by the family room. At the rear is the kitchen on one side and dining on the other, then a steep step down to the fourth bedroom. There’s one bathroom and a verandah out the back.
Then I noticed the line of palm trees marking the courtyard boundary where the rear property had been separated.
Reality returned.
Four bedrooms.
One bathroom.
I started thinking about the inconvenience of it.
If you’re in one of the three bedrooms at the front, it’s a bit of a trek down to the bathroom. I know this first-hand while living through my own bathroom renovation.
Then there’s the storage.
None of the bedrooms have built-ins and I didn’t notice much storage anywhere else either.
And while I still had Christmas on my mind, I went back for another look at the kitchen.
It’s pretty small.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 60cm rangehood in a house of this size. It looked strangely out of proportion, and it was hard to imagine cooking for a big gathering in there.
But I still loved it
Here’s the thing.
Even knowing all of that — one bathroom, small kitchen, almost no storage — I was still in love with the house.
It’s the kind of house I’d be willing to compromise for because it just felt right.
It felt warm and homely.
Like somewhere you could build a family, grow into, and renovate gradually as life changed.
It felt like a forever home.
Let’s talk numbers
The guide is $2.6M.
Stamp duty at that price is roughly $125,958, so all in you’re looking at just over $2.7M before anything else.
And I actually think there’s value at the $2.6M guide.
This is a move-in-ready house. There’s nothing you have to do immediately — just a few annoying things you may eventually want to fix, like the single bathroom and lack of storage.
A few doors down, 181 Nelson Street is currently asking $2.45M after initially coming to market in August with a higher guide. It sits on around 214m² and offers 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 1 car space.
Then there is 37 Rose Street with a guide initially of $2.0M then the following week it increased to $2.1M and offers 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, no car space over 3 levels but on a much smaller lot.
I haven’t inspected that 181 Nelson Street yet, so I can’t tell you why it’s still sitting on the market, while 37 Rose Street is heading to auction on 7 November 2026.
The three houses aren’t directly comparable, but they’re interesting to look at together because ultimately it comes down to what you’re willing to compromise on.
Non of them are perfect.
They just ask you to compromise in different ways.
My take
In this market, buyers have choice.
There are quite a few houses floating around this price range, so buyers can afford to be selective.
But for the right buyer, I think 219 Nelson Street is a really lovely offering in a great location.
It’s a house that’s very easy to fall in love with.
And with some thoughtful renovation over time, I can see it becoming a genuinely beautiful forever home.
My guesstimate: $2.65M.
I think there’ll be enough competition for this one to push it just that little bit above guide.
Now we wait and see.
Listing Details:
219 Nelson St, Annandale NSW
Listed with Cobden Hayson – Link here
Auction – 12 November 2026
Initial Price Guide – $2.6M
My Estimate – $2.65M
See you at the next Inside Open Home in the Inner West.
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