Natalie Jean Wood: The woman Sydney forgot will be honoured by the man who bought her Surry Hills terrace home

THE woman Sydney forgot will be honoured by the man who bought her delapidated house. Natalie Jean Wood’s remains were found in her Surry Hills home, where they had lain undiscovered for almost eight years.

• INSIDE THE HOME OF THE WOMAN SYDNEY FORGOT
• LIVED AS A RECLUSE, ANSWERED TO A SECRET KNOCK

THE woman Sydney forgot will be honoured by the man who bought her terrace house for $1,105,000.

Natalie Jean Wood’s skeletal ­remains were found in 2011 in her dilapidated Surry Hills home, where they had lain undiscovered for almost eight years. She was 86 years old.

On Wednesday night, however, the terrace house at 139 Kippax St, described by real estate agents at PRDnationwide Perez Real Estate as “completely ­uninhabitable”, sold at auction.

Natalie Jean Wood’s Surry Hills home went for $1,105,000.

The buyer, who does not wish to be named, said he had been inside the house several times in the lead-up to the auction and immediately thought of how easily Ms Wood’s fate could have been that of someone he cared about.

“I felt very sad by the story and I’m going to find her grave and leave flowers on it,” he said.

“It just goes to show how sad it is that people aren’t close to their neighbours any more. I won’t forget her.”

Sydney’s forgotten woman, Natalie Jean Wood / Supplied

The dusty interior of Natalie Wood’s home.

Before the auction, agent Corrinne Olsen said she expected the deceased estate to go for about $600,000 to $700,000 based on early interest.

“I thought at most it would go for $850,000,” she said.

“We weren’t expecting interest like this on this one.”

The delapidated state of Ms Wood’s house.

Natalie Wood’s Surry Hills terrace was expected to fetch between $600,000 and $700,000.

There were 28 registered bidders for the home.

Potential buyers arrived at the Rosebery auction house before 5pm and the list of 28 registered buyers ­almost doubled in the 15 minutes before the sale opened.

Ms Wood’s tragic story made headlines when her body was discovered.

She was found when her sister-in-law Enid Davis alerted police because she wanted to contact Ms Wood.

The open house when it went for sale. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Auctioneer Matthew Shalhoub from Under The Hammer auctions off Ms Wood’s house. Picture: Toby Zerna

The divorcee had no living immediate family and her $1.2 million estate, including her bank account with almost $80,000 and the prime Surry Hills real estate, were left to Ms Davis.

In another auction Wednesday night, a run-down Paddington terrace sold for $1 million to a professional home decorator who saw off strong interest.

Ms Wood’s dresser was covered in dust when police broke in. Photo courtesy of the NSW Coroner's Court

The worn carpeted stair inside Ms Wood’s terrace. Photo courtesy of the NSW Coroner's Court