The imposing remote-controlled gates of one of Bermuda?s most notorious homes creaked open yesterday morning.

And this gave the public their first chance to sneak a peek inside the former house of Terrence Smith.

A Policewoman directing traffic and auction signs tied to walls around 21 Tee Street signalled the end of a controversial era for the much talked about property. This was where Smith lived in the lap of luxury ? bankrolling hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of renovations through a well-documented $1.2 million Bermuda Housing Corporation fraud.

The Devonshire home ? boasting three bedrooms, five bathrooms, a six-seat cinema, a sprawling palm-tree lined pool and a stunning sea view ? was worth a reported $2.5 million four years ago. It goes under the hammer next Wednesday.

And a two-hour open house viewing yesterday saw more than 30 potential buyers and self-confessed snoops take advantage of the opportunity to tour its three floors and 20 vacant rooms.

As wandered the property, many visitors openly accepted they simply didn?t have deep enough pockets to be able to call Tee Street home.

?I can?t afford to buy this,? admitted one viewer, as he strolled from the 40 foot swimming pool decorated by dolphin mosaics and featuring its very own cave, over towards a cavernous kitchen boasting at least 17 cupboards and 13 drawers.

?I just wanted to see what he spent our money on,? added the curious visitor. ?And there will be a lot of people coming here to do exactly the same thing.?

Asked if he was planning to splash the cash, another viewer said he was still weighing up his options.

?I?ll have to look and see what happens,? he said, adding that he was not put off by Tee Street?s unique place in Bermuda?s criminal history.

Smith was jailed for eight years earlier this year after looting BHC coffers to help turn Tee Street into a luxury, state-of-the-art abode.

The jury during his trial were given a tour of the plush pad, although most of the fancy furniture and gadgets they cast their eyes over that day were not on view yesterday.

The infamous peach house, which the trial heard Smith lavished most of the stolen BHC funds on, had been stripped bare ready for its new owners.

So that meant yesterday?s visitors were not able to pass judgment on some of the top notch furnishing the court heard Smith shelled $84,000 on.

But there was still plenty on show to make the trip to Devonshire worthwhile ? and to show that Smith?s army of workmen were hardly twiddling their thumbs during his 18-month fraud.

Temporary guests patrolled the $10,000 pool yesterday, avoided the diving board and dolphin statue, before making a bee-line for Smith?s former $96,000 movie theatre.

This featured six comfy cinema seats ? complete with handy king-size beverage holders.

Sadly, for any silver screen aficionados the posters of Braveheart and Gone With The Wind appeared to have gone with the removal men after the house was repossessed by Capital G bank.

The garden looked a little overgrown.

And although a huge satellite dish that probably picks up conversations of NASA astronauts was still in the back garden, there was little evidence of the $173,000 Smith splashed out on landscaping work.

This included a waterfall, a Japanese bridge and numerous statues.

The garage was big; the driveway ? which could probably fit at least six cars in ? was even bigger.

?Oh my God!? shrieked one Tee Street guest as they entered the kitchen and realised it was probably larger than some of the Island?s pokier apartments.

Another elderly couple, living nearby in Devonshire, said the house was ?very nice? but reckoned the decor was ?maybe a little bit over the top?.

One woman said: ?It?s a lovely house but it?s too much upkeep. There?s so much wood.?

And another man, who used to work with Smith, said what the former resident had spent on the property ?just boggles the mind?.

Auctioneer Drew Horsfield, of Horsfield Property Services, said viewers had been impressed with what they saw. The aim of yesterday?s open house was to introduce potential buyers to a property that ?stands alone on its merits?, he told

Eye-catching features of a house standing on 0.4 acres and first built in the 1930s, included cedar-panelling on staircases and floor trims, wooden floors and marble counters in the kitchen and bathroom, he added.

The former owner had not added a great deal to the house, but had added ?exceptional? finishes like the landscaping and cedar panelling.

Asked whether the property?s recent history would affect its selling price, Mr. Horsfield added: ?Its notoriety is history.?

Another viewing is planned on Saturday, also between noon and 2 p.m., ahead of the November 22 public auction starting at 1 p.m.