Couple wins house while running the Gold Coast Marathon
A young couple stopped in the middle of running the Gold Coast Marathon to bid on a property near Brisbane's beaches - and won.
Nicholas Finch
less than 2 min read
July 6, 2024 - 1:16PM
National News Network
24 Bellew Street, Wynnum
A young couple stopped in the middle of running the Gold Coast Marathon to bid on a property near Brisbane's beaches - and won.
The four-bedroom, two-bathroom home at 24 Bellew St, Wynnum, was bought by the old owners a decade ago. Before it went up for sale, it was being used by the older couple’s daughter as they lived nearby.
But looking to retire and live comfortably doing so, they sought to sell the property in a campaign that had 40 people come through to admire it.
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With seven registered bidders and four active participants, bidding began at $820,000.
Soon, two bidders were going head to head with bids increasing by a thousand dollars each. After 26 previous bids, the winners increased their offer by four thousand dollars - and secured the property for $1.055 million.
But that morning, the winning bidders had forgotten they were even attending an auction.
Instead, they were getting up to go to the Gold Coast Marathon today, and were reminded by Place Estate agent Jessica Odgers as they prepared to leave.
24 Bellew Street, Wynnum
The couple decided to go to the marathon, stopping by the side of the road to place their bids over the phone.
“It was quite terrific, actually,” Ms Odgers said. “They had a marathon in the morning, and by 10am they were buying a home.”
The couple are planning to start a family in the new home they’ve just purchased, not far from several schools and a nearby playground.
As for the old owners, Ms Odgers said they were brought to tears at the final outcome, $55,000 over the reserve price.
“They were crying, both of them,” she said. “They were over the moon: lots of hugging, lots of crying. I got a bit teary as well … but now they can just live their life and enjoy it.”
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Updates
Neighbouring homes grabbed on same day by same buyer
20 and 22 Woodrow Drive, Cooparoo
The new owner of two houses next to each other in Coorparoo plans to knock down both properties, consolidating the land from each home.
20 and 22 Woodrow Drive, Cooparoo, are both three-bedroom one-bathroom properties featuring two renovated post-war homes, that will be taken down by their latest buyer.
Number 22, sitting on the corner of Armuna St, began an auction with 30 registered bidders.
Starting at $1.475 million, the competition was whittled down to two competing bidders, with the final offer sitting at $1.855 million.
Meanwhile, number 20’s property sold started bidding at $1.3 million. The price quickly escalated by $300K, with a new bidder appearing last-minute before the winner secured the property at $1.67 million.
Together, the winning bidder spent $3.525 million on the two homes, which have a combined 1,200 square metres of land.
Place Estate agent Shane Hicks said both results well-exceeded the vendors’ reserve prices, and that the street had to be closed for the hundreds of people stopping by to watch.
“30 registered bidders doesn’t happen very often,” Mr Hicks said. “The buyers are going to knock down both homes and turn two blocks into three blocks.”
“We have very happy sellers and very happy buyers!”
Hundreds offer millions of dollars at in-room bidding war
90 Wishart Road, Upper Mt Gravatt
527 registered bidders attended an in-room auction event at Ray White’s Mt Gravatt office, purchasing more than $19 million in property that day.
Held at the Mansfield State High School auditorium, 18 out of 21 lots were sold by the end of the fast-paced bidding process.
With Griffith University and the mountain overlook nearby, Ray White Mt Gravatt principal and auctioneer Grant Boman said demand within the area was evident by the day’s turnout.
“It was a festival of properties,” Mr Boman said. “There were many first home buyers and investors present, but the largest chunk of buyers were families looking to secure a family home and a position within some of the city’s most sought-after school catchments.”
One of the biggest sales was of a six-bedroom, three-bathroom house at 90 Wishart Road, Upper Mt Gravatt. Last sold in 1981 for $51,250, the property has now sold for $1.765 million.
Agents Andrew Boman and Morgan Tickner described the home as a contemporary dual living home with a large backyard space for play and barbecues.
Opening at a bid of $1.5 million, the auction 33 registered bidders who also attended other auctions across the event.
In the end, it went to a family who plan to use it as a multigenerational home for kids, parents and grandparents.
16 Enderby St, Mt Gravatt East
Meanwhile, a postcode record price was set for a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home at $1.405 million.
The property at 16 Enderby St, Mt Gravatt East had been recently renovated, with a white paint job on every surface save for the finished brown floors.
A high level of attention to detail has been applied to every aspect of this perfectly styled home, the ideal fit for anyone who is seeking the perfect blend of modern luxury and lifestyle living.
Agents Grant Boman and Tom Agmon said the location had “a high level of attention to detail” applied to the refurbishment.
“The ideal fit for anyone who is seeking the perfect blend of modern luxury and lifestyle living,” they said.
Neighbour grabs inner city property in close-call bidding war
129 Fortescue St, Spring Hill. Picture: Nicholas Finch
A next door neighbour has edged out strong competition for an inner city workers cottage, eager to have a complete block of property in a prime location.
The three-bedroom two-bathroom house at 129 Fortescue St, Spring Hill, sold this morning after a series of last-second bids between two potential buyers.
The cottage has two floors down a quiet, hilly street, less than a ten-minute drive away from the CBD.
One potential buyer spoke about the convenience of location, as well as the opportunities the house’s lower home could provide.
“You could separate the floors,” she said, with the lower floor having its own bedroom and amenities to potential renters.
The property found six registered bidders in the morning of the auction, with over a dozen people attending to watch it play out on the property.
Beginning at 9.15am, the bidders and onlookers gathered in the kitchen and living area of the space.
Buyers gathered around the kitchen and living space as bidding began. Picture: Nicholas Finch
Bidding began at 1.2 million, and quickly became a match-up between two people both eager to get their hands on the property.
First bids increased by a hundred thousand dollars at a time, before narrowing down into the thousands after the price shot past $1.5 million.
With the price slowly rising with each bid, it was a difference of only a thousand dollars at the end of the auction. With one bidder raising their final bid from $1.581 million to $1.585 million, the winning bidders found they were willing to pay just that little more.
After 18 bids, the property sold for $1.586 million. The buyers, who also own the property next door, were happy to have a connected block of land to do with as they please.
Homely cottage on large flat block nets affordable price for new owners
22 Serpentine Rd, Pinkenba
With rising housing prices across the country, it’s fortunate to get anything affordable – and one buyer has managed to pick up a property below the state mean, right by the airport.
The three-bedroom, one-bathroom colonial cottage at 22 Serpentine Rd, Pinkenba, is right by Brisbane River, a 20-minute drive from the city and a short drive from Brisbane airport.
Ray White agent Nicholas Hall described the house as “a perfect entry level home for the first home buyer, renovator or investor”, with plenty of room to extend or redo the property with its large yard space.
5 registered bidders arrived at the property to compete for the spot, with the auction beginning at $600,000.
The property was sold at $725,000, over the reserve price the vendor had set.
“You will be hard pressed to find a property at this value point anywhere within 15kms of the CBD,” Mr Hall said. “With Brisbane property prices surging, this really is a fantastic opportunity to finally get a foot in the market and to start building equity for the future.”
Character house in golden pocket of Brisbane sells in tight bidding battle
39 Cramond St, Wilston. Picture: Nicholas Finch
Over thirty people gathered around the four-bedroom, two-bathroom house at 39 Cramond St, Wilston, for a morning auction that came to a close call between three potential buyers.
The listing called the property a ‘low maintenance’ home up for its first sale, featuring renovated amenities, polished pine flooring and a nice view of the hilly suburban surroundings.
While many looking to buy were scoping out the place, several neighbours were keen to see what would happen to the property, attending the bidding under the morning sun.
One resident described the neighbourhood as being full of “character houses”, with the location close to public transport and nearby schools.
The auction garnered dozens of onlookers as four made their bids to secure the house. Picture: Nicholas Finch
Starting with four registered bidders, bidding began at 1 million, with two bidders calling in to make their offers.
After more than two dozen bids, the property was won by a margin of only $2,000.
The final bid was $1.452 million, with the winning buyers keen to move into the area as soon as they are ready.
Ray White agent Sam Hagen said the property owners were selling their home for a lifestyle change, and were pleased to see how well the auction played out.
“The auction result was well in excess of the owner’s reserve,” he said. “They’re very happy with the result, and keen to make their next move.”
Big bidding week for Brisbane
44 Lyon St, Moorooka
The week has already seen several large sales on the West End of Brisbane.
Ray White West End reported six sales in one day, with a combined value of $7.038 million and 40 registered bidders.
The most expensive property was an apartment block on 44 Lyon St, Moorooka. Featuring three one-bedroom units and two two-bedroom units, the property was sold for $2.088 million, with eight registered bidders competing.
Meanwhile, bidding on two lots at 36 and 36a Barford St, Moorooka, drew down to the wire with a winning margin of only $4.5k.
The land offering, placed on an elevated block of Moorooka and featuring a wide view of the suburb, sold for $1.15 million at the end of bidding.
Other winning properties included a four-bedroom home in Nathan for $1.165 million, a three-bedroom house in Tarragindi for $1.1 million and a two-bedroom apartment by the river for $950,000.
Hot Morningside property snatched before Saturday auction
8 Grayson St Morningside.
With 297 auctions for Queensland’s first week in July, the most-viewed property up for a Saturday auction has already been sold to a private buyer.
The three-bedroom two-bathroom terrace at 8 Grayson Street, Morningside, was sold for $780,000 in 2017, then again for $1,120,000 in 2022: a 43.6 per cent increase in price.
With both bedrooms placed on the first floor, the main bedroom features two walk-in wardrobes and an ensuite, leaving an open living and dining space on the ground level.
While ready for auction today, on late Thursday evening, vendors accepted a private offer of $1,370,500 over the property.
Buyers in the UK intended on phone bidding on Saturday, but had the chance to buy the property beforehand.
Belle Property agent Oliver Manu said the owners were “ecstatic” about the offer. “Townhouses at the moment are in very high demand, which makes a formula for success,” he said.
Queensland’s 297 auctions marks 59 per cent year-on-year increase, compared to this time in 2023.
This is one of the largest increases for this week in Australia, second only to South Australia at 60 percent.
Three homes listed for auction early Saturday have already been sold in a private sale. One of those homes, a four bedroom house at 72 Wyena Street, Camp Hill, sold for $1,850,000.
