A dilapidated terrace in Paddington that was in the same family for three generations went under the hammer for the first time on Saturday, selling for $3 million.
The three-bedroom property at 9 Cecil Street, which included the original horse stables from a bygone era, had a price guide of $2.6 million.
Five of the 14 registered buyers bid on the dual access, 138-square-metre property; most were owner-occupiers who placed bids, while builder developers were left behind, hoping for a better deal.
The auction started at $2.4 million with $50,000 increments quickly driving the price past its $2.6 million reserve.
Smaller $25,000 bids followed, pushing the price to $3 million, where it sold to a Redfern buyer in front of a close-knit crowd of about 80 neighbours and supporters.
“Most of the feedback we had from people is that they thought it was worth low twos [millions],” said Georgia Cleary of McGrath Paddington.
Cleary said owner-occupier buyers were often willing to pay a premium for original properties because many prefer to renovate in their own way.
As for the stables, Cleary said it was an insight into what Paddington would have looked like.
“Most people would have had back access for a horse and cart,” she said. “And if you look at the old [laundry] tub, it’s still got the old wringer on it, which … they dragged their clothes through that by hand.”
Cleary said most of Paddington used to look like this not that long ago.
“It’s eye-opening now, but 35 years ago, when I started, I would sell a lot that looked like this, like a lot. Now, I probably only sell a couple a year because the suburb has been so gentrified,” she said.
The vendor was a beneficiary of the deceased estate.
The property was one of 1315 scheduled auctions in Sydney across the week. By Saturday evening, Domain Group recorded a preliminary auction clearance rate of 64.2 per cent from 830 reported results across the week, while 180 auctions were withdrawn. Withdrawn auctions are counted as unsold properties when calculating the clearance rate.
In Forest Lodge, a two-bedroom semi-detached house with parking sold for $2 million to a Stanmore buyer.
The cosy home with a courtyard at 10 Albert Street had been updated to include modern conveniences yet retained some charming period features.
It had a guide of $1.65 million and a reserve of $1,815,000. Four of the seven registered buyers bid, all owner-occupiers, except one investor.
Bidding opened at $1.7 million with mostly $25,000 bids until it sold for $185,000 above its reserve.
“It’s a great result in current conditions, I think that the market is showing some strength towards the end of the year,” said John Yannakis of BresicWhitney Inner West
The vendor is upsizing within the suburb. The property last traded for $1.13 million in 2014, records show.
In Drummoyne, a waterfront apartment in Sydney’s inner west sold for $1,575,000 – some $175,000 above the reserve – to a local buyer.
The two-bedroom first-floor unit at 27/72 St Georges Crescent has uninterrupted water views of Sydney Harbour.
Eight buyers, a mix of investors and owner-occupiers, registered to bid on the auction, which opened at $1.1 million in front of a crowd of 50.
Slow $10,000 bids raised the price to $1.38 million until it stalled for a while before others entered the ring late in the game, with five active at the end. A final $20,000 bid sealed the deal.
Ray White Drummoyne’s Mario Carbone said the waterfront unit had had interest from $1.2 million to $1.3 million.
The property has common access to a swimming pool, cabana and a slipway.
“You can definitely launch a boat off there,” Carbone said.
The vendor is relocating to Berry.
PRD chief economist Dr Diaswati Mardiasmo said Sydney’s clearance rate of 64.3 per cent, higher than the previous week, reflected a slight increase in consumer confidence.
“There’s a slight uptick of confidence in terms of buyers and people who are attending auctions,” Mardiasmo said.
“But it is still a very low auction clearance rate for Sydney because Sydney is normally around the 75 plus. So there’s still some improvement, but … we’ve still got cautious buyers in the market at the moment,” she said.