Family home draws massive crowd in rapid-fire auction sale

Around 80 people all packed together outside the quaint family home to watch a bidding war the agents called “the longest auction we have ever done”.

A crowd of around 80 people watched a brutal bidding war for a family home in Wishart, which the agents said felt like “the longest auction we’ve ever done”.

The four-bedroom, two-bathroom house at 8 Kentwell Pl found 16 registered bidders looking to live in the highly sought-after pocket of Brisbane, with 14 of them actively putting up offers for the home.

8 Kentwell Pl, Wishart

The home has been with one family for decades, and was well-maintained before its current sale.

This was the first time the home had been put on the market since it had been built, with its old owners having lived there for 24 years.

Ray White Springwood and Shailer Park agents Joel Butler and Matthew Jones said the home had been “really well-maintained” throughout its decades, and required no renovations before going on the market.

Auctioneer David Holmes oversaw the midday auction, which started at $1 million and quickly rose by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“It was fast-paced at first, then it slowed down a bit,” Mr Jones said, and Mr Butler said the price was only increasing by increments of $1,000 to $2,000 after it reached $1.6 million.

It took more than 60 bids for the home to finally sell under the hammer, with the final sale price coming in at $1.662 million.

The median property price for Wishart is $1.345 million, which this sale beat by more than $300,000.

The crowd packed the cozy backyard of the house, filling up every nook and cranny of the area as they walked the auction proceed.

Auctioneer David Holmes presided over the long and hectic bidding war, before the home sold for $1.662 million.

The agents said four bidders were especially competitive over the property, and the winner ended up being the only participant who attended over the phone.

“He was consistent all the way,” Mr Butler said of the winner, whose mother attended in person for him.

Homes in Wishart are sold at competitive prices, with a recent sale on that street having been passed in at $1.55 million.

“For us to achieve this price, it shows you have to launch the property on the market a lot earlier,” Mr Butler said.

“It wasn’t a complete surprise, but we were absolutely thrilled with the result,” Mr Jones said.

The sellers, empty nesters looking to downsize found the moment a bittersweet one, parting with their home for several decades.

“They were happy, [but] a bit emotional – they’ve been here for a long time,” Mr Jones said.

Originally published as Family home draws massive crowd in rapid-fire auction sale