Five-acre home won for millions by surprise New Zealand buyer over the phone

The sellers for this acreage property didn’t expect the home to sell for nearly $4m, with its surprise winner bidding outside Australia.

A buyer from New Zealand spent nearly $4m on five acres of land — and they did it without setting foot in the country.

104 Boston Road, Belmont, has a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on the property – but Place Wynnum Manly agent Richard Myers said it was really valued for having more than two hectares of space.

“To be honest, we’re really blown away by the level of attendance and enthusiasm that was shown by all of the attendants,” he said.

104 Boston Rd, Belmont – five acres of property that went to auction on Saturday.

Six registered bidders attended on Saturday morning, both in person and over the phone.

“A lot of people who want to build a house and have space – lot of acreage for that pocket,” Mr Myers said.

With four active bidders participating, offers began at $2.7 million.

The spot was sought after by buyers eager to build a new family home on a large patch of land.

What followed was around 30 bids, in an auction that alternated between quick, intense bidding and a slower, more calculated pace.

“There were larger bids, smaller bids – there was a bit of stalling but it had a good flow to it,” Mr Myers said.

Over time, offers for the home rose by $1.2m – and near the end, two bidders were duking it out for more than $3m.

The property finally sold under the hammer for $3.9 million, well over the reserve price.

Potential buyers appeared in person and over the phone – but the winning buyer was one who called in from New Zealand.

The home’s previous vendors had owned the property for 36 years before selling it at auction.

In an unexpected turn of events, the home’s new buyers weren’t even bidding on-site.

“It was actually a buyer who was bidding from New Zealand,” Mr Myers said. “They were a bit of a surprise today … we had people who turned up and bid who we didn’t even have a whole lot to do with.”

Mr Myers said he assumed the new buyers would tear down the old home on the property, and build “their dream home” on the acreage space.

The sale was part of Place’s “The Summer Day” auction event, their first for 2025.

Originally published as Five-acre home won for millions by surprise New Zealand buyer over the phone