Renowned family of musical Brisbane immigrants sell their heritage home
The last member of the musically renowned Benvenuti family has sold the family home they constructed over a century ago, for more than $1 million over the reserve price. SEE AUCTIONS LIVE
Nicholas Finch
less than 2 min read
August 30, 2024 - 2:21PM
Real Estate
27 Agnes Street, Fortitude Valley
The last member of the musically renowned Benvenuti family has sold the family home they constructed over a century ago, for more than $1 million over the reserve price.
Having immigrated from Italy to Australia in the 1800s, the family was a group of musicians who influenced Brisbane's cultural life as it began to grow into its own.
Building three properties next to each other over twenty years, they lived in the middle home: 27 Agnes St, Fortitude Valley, which became a heritage home after they passed.
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This was the first time the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home had ever been sold, with the last member of the family giving it up to go to auction.
Five registered bidders attended the event at the property, each of them active participants in the auction.
While it took a vendor bid to get the auction started at $1.3 million, the pace of the bidding soon shot up, and quickly went on the market at $1.7 million.
Auctioneer David Holmes of Holmes Auctions described the following 65 bids as an "Absolutely brutal mathematical test", with the two main bidders each quickly raising the price with "odd and strategic increments".
"One bidder would bid, say, $1.863 million," he said. "Then the other would say, 'I'll throw 25 on top'."
Its neighbours, 23 and 31 Agnes St, were also built by the Benvenuti family, but this was the family home they remained in for many years.
Eventually, bidding ended with a final offer of $2.75 million, more than $1 million over both the reserve price and what it went on the market for.
Sixty Four Property New Farm agent Ivo Kornel said the winning bidder was a local resident of Fortitude Valley, and understood the popularity heritage homes often have.
"There’s definitely a bit of a cult following," he said. "We were probably happy with a result of $1.6-1.7 million. To get a result of $2.75 million is truly just amazing”
The Benvenuti family had an orchestra of four in the 1870s. Father Antonio played the violin, with his sons Luigi, Victor and Italo playing the double bass, piano and flute.
Victor Benvenuti was also a composer known for works such as 'Britons to the Fore'.
Only one known direct member of the Benvenuti line remains.
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Rapid-fire bidding sees parkside home sell for millions
4 Wentworth Pl, Carindale
Sitting right by Edwards Park, the home at 4 Wentworth Pl, Carindale sold after more than 40 bids between eight eager competitors.
The vendors of the five-bedroom, three-bathroom home had decided to downsize, giving 11 registered bidders the chance to fight over who would walk away with the property.
Starting at a bid of $2.2 million dollars, dozens of bids started firing back and forth after the auction commenced on the property.
Ray White Carina agent Nick Foster said he "couldn't count the bids" as they went up, quickly reaching $2.7 million. "It was getting up there pretty quick," he said.
Exceeding the reserve price, the home finally sold for a total of $2.78 million.
"Carindale is still very tightly held but we’re seeing a lot of buyers so it’s competitive," Mr Foster said. "The quality of buyers coming through is very good."
Mr Foster said the buyers were a young couple with children, who bought in the area "for the enjoyment of the open space". The couple plan to raise their kids at the home, staying there for the foreseeable future.
Auction winner returns to childhood hometown
191 Brisbane Street, Bulimba
The winner of the three-bedroom, two-bathroom property at 191 Brisbane Street, Bulimba, has made a return to the suburb where he was raised.
The restored Queenslander was an investment property that the old owners used to live in, having raised their children in the home.
A crowd of around 35 people gathered to see the auction take place: including family and friends of the bidders, and neighbours from the area. Others also attended who had an interest in the auction, but were not experienced enough to register to bid – so used the auction as way to watch how they work.
With six registered bidders, the home had a starting bid of $1.35 million, with four bidders actively competing for the property.
Place Gumdale agent Jacqui Brown said the bidding was "decisive" but "pretty competitive", with the couple who ended up buying the property having made the first bid.
After a spirited competition between two remaining bidders, the one leading was taken aside for negotiation – and the home sold under the hammer for $1.6 million.
Ms Brown said the winners were a young couple with a baby, with the father living from Tarragindi.
"He had been brought up in Bulimba, so he was basically coming back to his home," she said, adding the family intended to make it their forever home.
“They’ve got big plans to renovate the home and make it their own," she said.
Family buys second property due to renovations
70 Richmond Street, Gordon Park. Picture: Nicholas Finch
Dissatisfied with the rental market, one family decided to purchase an entire second property – both as an investment and as a place to stay while their main home is renovated.
The five-bedroom, two-bathroom home at 70 Richmond Street, Gordon Park, had gone through a restoration before going up for sale.
Fully available to move into as-is, it attracted a crowd of more than thirty people to the sunny morning auction, beginning the last day of Winter.
The elevated, two-storey home features amenities on both of its floors, allowing for dual-living setups for interested parties. Out the back, a small children's cubby house and swing set sat, where kids of attending families played while the auction commenced.
Ray White Wilston agent Holly Bowden described the home as "a prime opportunity to avoid the headache of renovating or building", in "a community suburban lifestyle surrounded by excellent schools".
With seven registered bidders, the auction opened with an offer of $1.625 million. Bidders at the auction were cautious, yet decisive, with bids increasing by $25,000 until reaching $1.7 million.
Bids were then raised by several thousand dollars, before a $1,000 bid brought the home to $1.722 million.
After eight bids and some discussion with the owners, the home was listed on the market, before selling to the family who made the offer.
Auctioneer Mitch Peereboom sold the home under the hammer with an audience of dozens, including neighbours interested to know about the new owners. Picture: Nicholas Finch
The home was built by a family with children – with a mother attending in person, while the father was listening in over the phone during their child's sports game.
Frustrated with the rental market in Brisbane, the family decided to buy a house to stay in while their main home is being renovated. The mother of the family is not a fan of auctions, but pushed through to win the bidding war regardless.
"It [cost] more than I initially intended myself," she said, "but it was within the range my husband felt comfortable with."
The family plan to rent the property out once renovations are complete with their home – which she said will likely take longer than anticipated.
"You've gotta have enough room for the people that will live in a home, but also those extra spaces," she said. "There are a couple of extra rooms here that could function as a work space."
Homeowners leave acreage property for fresh turnkey house
105 Tamaree Ave, Wynnum
One young couple has joined the numbers of people leaving acreage homes for smaller, more manageable homes closer to Brisbane.
The four-bedroom, three-bathroom house at 105 Tamaree Ave, Wynnum, is a recently-finished build that sits across the road from Wynnum Golf Course: featuring a striking black facade and new amenities across its two floors.
Its original owners had built it with the intention to live in it, but had to move due to unforeseen work commitments.
It garnered six registered bidders who attended the auction in the morning, with bidding starting at $1.705 million.
Two active bidders went head to head on Saturday morning for the property. The auction had around a dozen bids, with occasional pauses for each of the bidders to calculate their strategy.
Raine & Horne Wynnum/Manly agent Chris Vote said bidding was steady between both participants, who were eager to counter the other's offer.
"They were quick responses – one would bid, the other would quickly reply," he said.
Soon, though, the successful bidder returned with an offer that secured them the home, and the home sold under the hammer for $1.705 million.
The buyers were a young couple, who were moving from an acreage property before setting their eyes on this house. Mr Vote said many moving from acreage property are unable to maintain the home's size in the current market.
“Buyers are time-poor and are often looking for residences that are turn-key, with nothing to do," he said.
Locals take surprise win for most-viewed Queensland home up for auction
73 Arrol St, Camp Hill
The most popular Queensland home up for auction this week sold after a steady auction – to a local couple who agents weren't sure would bid at all.
The five-bedroom, three-bathroom house at 73 Arrol St, Camp Hill, was also the eighth most popular home nationally.
Sitting in a prestigious suburb on the south side of Brisbane, the home features two floors and a rooftop terrace, sitting directly by Lavarack Park.
Five registered bidders appeared to compete for the property, beginning with a starting offer of $1.5 million.
Four active bidders went toe to toe, a steady bidding slowly weeding out the competition. Sixteen bids later, one of the remaining two bidders emerged the victor – and the house sold under the hammer for $2.565 million.
Place Woolloongabba agent Denis Najzar said the winners were a local couple, upsizing from their previous home in the area.
"When they turned up, we weren’t expecting them to be the highest bidders. In actual fact, we probably weren’t expecting them to bid," he said.
“Everyone is happy with the end result.”
Single bid wins siblings a two-lot property
36 Moolabar St, Morningside
Sometimes, one bid is all it takes – and after a frenzy of offers at a morning auction in Brisbane, a brother and sister snatched up the property with the one bid that beat the rest.
The two-bedroom, one-bathroom home at 36 Moolabar St, Morningside, is situated across two lots. A home with an abundance of space, the house has potential for being moved in as-is, being heavily renovated or even being completely knocked down, to use the acreage for a larger home.
With nine registered bidders and a crowd of nearly 40 people, an opening offer of $1.5 million quickly ballooned to $1.9 million, in four bids of $100,000 each.
Bidding then slowed to increases of $5,000 to $10,000, but the pace remained fast. In under ten minutes, the offer was sitting at $1.995 million.
Place Camp Hill agent Antonio Puopolo said this was when the winning bidders stepped in, with the brother making a knockout bid that won them the home at $2 million.
"He only bid once, and he bought the property – a one and done kind of guy," he said. "It was a very smoothly-run auction … well above reserve."
The siblings are in their early thirties, and have had experience in home ownership before.
QLD real estate market prepares for Spring
59 Goss Rd, Virginia
Queensland’s scheduled auctions have seen their first decrease in months compared to this time last year – but it’s expecting to see a big surge once Winter ends.
Proptrack’s latest Property Preview Report shows that while the nation will have the busiest auction week since May, Queensland is seeing a 6 per cent decrease in auctions from this week in 2023.
Brisbane’s CBD is still showing a strong performance with a 15 per cent rise, sitting at 168 scheduled auctions. However, only 100 auctions in regional Queensland represents a 28 per cent year-on-year decrease.
But auctions are expected to jump back up with the first week of Spring. Queensland currently has a predicted 313 auctions in the first week of September, which would be a 27 per cent year-on-year rise.
This is estimated to continue into the month, with an 11 per cent rise predicted for the week after next.
The most popular Queensland home up for auction this weekend is 73 Arrol St, Camp Hill, which is also the eighth most popular home nationally.
Meanwhile, Queensland residential home with the most views this week was 59 Goss Rd, Virginia – followed closely by its next-door neighbour, 59A Goss Rd.
The two homes were each made by a husband and wife development team, with each of the two designing one of the properties.
Stone Real Estate Aspley agent Tristan Rowland said he wasn’t surprised to see the homes were seeing a lot of attention online, and that a lot of effort had gone into making the homes family-friendly without cutting corners.
“We’ve had over 60 groups inspect the property now”, he said. “There’s been an internal competition about which of the houses is more popular.”
