Fawkner: Family sell house after more than six decades, buyer faints in shock after winning keys
A buyer fainting and a family reduced to tears — this epic auction in Fawkner was a nail-biter from start to finish. Here’s what happened.
An emotional auction in Fawkner caused plenty of tears and a buyer who fainted upon securing her dream house on Saturday.
Six bidders vied for the three-bedroom home at 47 Preston St, that was being sold after 64 years in the one family.
Ray White Coburg’s Hamza Ali said the residence fetched $827,500, a sum $67,000 above the $760,000 reserve.
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Mr Ali said the successful bidder, a single mother of five, snapped up the abode after a 15-month search.
The overwhelmed but happy mum fainted after her final bid was successful, but luckily she quickly recovered and was fine.
The house’s owners, Maria and Pietro Mazzucco, bought the property in the 1960s.
Daughter Rosa Vocale said she and her husband moved in eight years ago to help care for her parents, now aged 89 and 93 respectively.
Her mother is now in aged care at Regis Fawkner, and her father recently joined his wife.
And although her Mum loves living at the “amazing” senior citizens’ residence, yesterday was a poignant day for the entire family, including Ms Vocale’s sister Gina and brother Fred, with many tears shed between them.
Ms Vocale said her parents, both originally from Italy, moved to Fawkner because they wanted a large block to establish a vegetable garden.
Her memories of the house include many celebrations.
“Being European, there was plentiful get-togethers,” Ms Vocale said.
“We had a multicultural neighbourhood, other residents would come over as well and have bread and salami with olives.”
Pietro and Maria also loved their quiet and peaceful neighbourhood.
The couple were initially married by proxy, a common practice for people of the period when one spouse was absent, after Pietro fell in love with a photo of Maria in 1953.
They did not meet until Maria arrived on a ship from Italy, two years later.
“It’s a very beautiful and emotional story,” Ms Vocale said.
Later in life, Pietro worked at General Motors Holden for more than 20 years.
The family has a photo of motor racing legend Peter Brock standing next to Pietro as he works on brake pads for Brock’s racing car.
Ms Vocale said the house’s sale was “the end of an era, but just a wonderful story”.
Mr Ali described the auction as “the most meaningful sale of my career”.
“It was a very emotional sale for both the buyer and sellers,” he said.
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Originally published as Fawkner: Family sell house after more than six decades, buyer faints in shock after winning keys
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