THE laminated sign to the left of the front door is ominous.

“Inspection is at your own risk,” it tells the dozens of curious locals as they walk in for an open house one gloomy Thursday morning.

On this occasion, The Saturday Telegraph is among them. A single stride past the threshold reveals that printed warning is anything but overstated.

The entire house seems to moan with every footstep.

media_camera Verulam is on the market for the first time since 1924. Picture: Tim Hunter

“It’s got a certain charm to it,” one jumper-clad optimist says as he casts his eager eyes upwards.

Verulam, named after an ancient town in the south of Roman-occupied Britain, is on the market for the first time since 1924.

Now the death of 98-year-old Jacqueline Mary Schmidt, who nearly spent her entire life in the breathtaking Paddington manor, will result in its auction on September 11.

The gothic look of the five-bedroom mansion has led to it being dubbed, to the chagrin of the Raine & Horne team selling the property, The Addams Family house.

media_camera The period features of this house are still in tact but in need of some loving attention. Picture: Tim Hunter

Its splintery wood and brick face, nestled between the pristine cement rendering and 21st century renovations of Moore Park Road, makes the “corny” nickname understandable. It even boasts a marble-topped iron bath shaped like a coffin.

You can’t help but all but almost feel the poltergeists’ eyes glaring at you from the many oblong holes in the ceilings.

But for much of the past 90 years Verulam has not been home to any creepy or kooky families, just a much-loved and religious old lady.

Schmidt, or “Aunty Toots” as she was known, died in November at the Little Sisters of the Poor nursing home in Randwick, where she is well remembered. Her 141-year-old home is expected to fetch $2.5 million.

media_camera Verulam is 124 years old and was owned by Jacqueline Mary Schmidt who lived in the house for 90 years. She was 98 when she died recently. Picture: Tim Hunter

media_camera Verulam is no heritage listed but the City of Sydney has requested that the style and integrity of the building’s facade be maintained. Picture: Tim Hunter

Though tempting to describe the tattered home as a renovator’s dream, it is probably more suited to a wannabe-ghostbuster.

You can’t help but almost feel the poltergeists’ eyes glaring at you from the many oblong holes in the ceilings.

Real estate agent Louise Snowden explains that the owner, who you’d be forgiven for feeling hasn’t quite departed yet, was a devout Catholic whose money went to charity rather than the house’s upkeep.

media_camera Verulam has been named the ‘Addams Family’ house because of its unusual and spooky appearance. Picture: Tim Hunter

In fact, since a number of the walls, doors and pipes aren’t even level, the mansion has the look of a cartoon.

Even the D on the top octave of a piano, which you just know plays Greensleeves by itself late at night, is raised slightly from the rest of the keys.

On the top storey, between a wall and a slanted stretch of roof, is a tiny recess accessible only by a creaky Hobbit-high door just begging to be concealed behind a bookshelf.

The building is not on the state heritage list but as an “item of local significance” City of Sydney simply requests that the style and integrity of Verulam’s facade is maintained.

Though full of magic, this Addams Family house is not one for disappearing acts.

media_camera Real Estate Agent Louise Snowden said the owner Jacqueline Schmidt spent her money on charity rather than the upkeep of the house. Picture: Tim Hunter

media_camera Things are rather spooky in the basement of Verulam. Picture: Tim Hunter

media_camera Real Estate Agent Louise Snowden beside one of the period fireplaces with detailed picture tiles. Picture: Tim Hunter