Property wrap: Basement-bar bonanza in Brighton hits $9.7m

The sandbelt suburb of Brighton has seen a luxury private treaty sale of a new build with a cocktail bar in its basement.

The three-level Brighton home, designed by architect Luke Seidler, and featuring a cocktail bar in its basement, fetched $9.7m in a private treaty sale.

The sandbelt suburb of Brighton has seen a luxury private treaty sale of a new build with a cocktail bar in its basement. The three-level home designed by architect Luke Seidler fetched $9.7m through Sam Inan at Hockingstuart Belle Property.

“It’s an entertainer’s extravaganza on an epic scale,” Inan advised.

The buyer was a property developer from Toorak.

The 2019-Belot Property-built home features a dramatic nightclub-style entertaining space in its sound-proofed basement space, which looks into the swimming pool water.

The subterranean space comes with a dance floor and a temperature-controlled wine room, accessed by fingerprint recognition.

91 William Street, Brighton. ‘An entertainer’s extravaganza on an epic scale.’

There’s emerald velvet carpet, Palm jungle wallpaper by Cole & Son, and striking caramel leather banquette seating. All up it can seat around 35 guests.

Seidler says his client had a “desire to escape, retreat, work and play” at the William St house that also has a bar in the kitchen and its master suite.

No doubt these private bars have been a joy during lockdown with the Melbourne nightlife out of bounds.

“The property was opened for inspection a mere two times before it sold,” Inan said, noting it was the most viewed property in Australia online in its first week on realestate.com.au.

Earlier Brighton residents who have sold homes with basement bars have included Shane Warne and Chris and Bec Judd.

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Melbourne marvel

Glen Waverley saw Melbourne’s second priciest advised weekend auction result, with a $3.1m sale through Jellis Craig agent Calvin Huang. The modern five-bedroom, five-bathroom home at 22 Kwinana St home sits in 634sq m grounds designed by landscape architects COS Design.

The price guide had been $2.65m to $2.9m. There was a $388,000 building approval given in 2013, according to Cordell Connect.

Williamstown saw a higher $3.2m sale but it was a pre-auction deal for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home on The Strand. The two level 2005-built house on 376sq m has views back to the city skyline.

There was an Armadale sale reputedly at $4.2m on Hume St, with buyers’ advocate Mal James in digital attendance. Its last sale was $212,000 in 1987.

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Auction pulled

With Melbourne’s lockdown extended, there were 954 auctions held across the city, down from the 1131 originally scheduled. The five-bedroom Hawthorn East home of former Hawthorn captain Richie Vandenberg was pulled from its scheduled weekend auction.

17 Fletcher Street, Hawthorn East has been withdrawn from auction.

The footballer-turned-winemaker has postponed the offering at Fletcher St, which remains listed with a consistent $3.4m to $3.7m price guide through Jellis Craig agent Richard Winneke. There have been nearly 15,000 views on realestate.com.au. Vandenberg and his wife, Jasmin, bought the Victorian weatherboard in 2002 for $625,500 and undertook a full transformation behind its period facade. They are off to Melbourne’s Bayside region.

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Foreign affairs

Brett McLeod, who is set to become Europe Correspondent for the Nine Network, and wife Louise secured $3.29m when their Fitzroy North home sold at online auction. The 1884-built general store terrace house saw five of the six registered bidders compete, with the property called on the market at $2.95m. The Delbridge St offering had been listed with $2.7m to $2.9m guidance. The four-bedroom house last traded in 2005 for $888,000. The empty-nester McLeods will move back to their old neighbourhood in Kew when they return from his latest posting to London.

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Drummoyne dream

The nation’s top sale was in Sydney when Chris Wilkins of Ray White sold a Drummoyne home for $7.575m under the virtual auction hammer. A local family outbid 14 other registered bidders who’d tuned in with the hopes of securing the four bedroom, two bathroom inner west home. Six got to lodge bids at the technically challenged online auction of the three-storey 1930s home on 695sq m. Last sold in 1976 at $48,000, it came with 310sq m internal floor space.

The initial marketing came with a guide of $6m, which was later revised up.

“Burnell Street has become the Golden Mile of Drummoyne,” Wilkins said.

The price was no surprise since the five-bedroom house next door at 7 Burnell Street fetched $8.55m a year ago.

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Bargain buy

South Australia’s Peterhead had the nation’s cheapest auction outcome when $386,000 was paid for a two-bedroom house.

It was marketed by Harcourts Sheppard agent Monica Furniss as a solid brick, two-bedroom maisonette on 398sq m that “offered a magnificent opportunity for investors, downsizers and first home buyers”. The home in Adelaide’s northwest, 15 km from the CBD, was purchased by an owner-occupier. There were 89 inspections of the Phillis Terrace home with 16 auction registrations.

Some 60 bids were lodged at auction taking the price to $111,000 above reserve.

“I’d call this a market-moving result,” Furniss said, noting an adjoining property in similar condition sold three months ago for $260,000.

It last sold at $52,000 in 2002, and at the same price in 1998, according to CoreLogic.

With an 84 per cent success rate, Adelaide was again the strongest weekend market as lockdowns interrupted the east coast capitals, according to CoreLogic.

Canberra, which has typically recorded the highest clearance rates this year, recorded a preliminary clearance rate of 82 per cent, with 45.8 per cent of successful auctions selling prior to the event as vendors chose to accept offers during the lockdown.

Canberra prices ranged from $480,000 for a two bedroom 1990s Belconnen townhouse to $1,796,000 for a late 1960s Pearce house on a 1639sq m block having previously sold at $1.03m in late 2017.

“Auction markets faded a little last week as the three most popular capitals for auctions navigated lockdowns,” CoreLogic’s Tim Lawless noted. Sydney stayed strong at 83 per cent, Brisbane did well at 74 per cent, but Melbourne weakened to a 63 per cent clearance rate.

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Socialite sale

Sydney socialite Tiffany Tilley is seeking to flip her eclectic Avalon Beach abode.

The former model has certainly jazzed up the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home since buying it for $3.06m in April last year.

43 Albert Road, Avalon Beach.

“Given its location, level of finishes and recent local sales, we reasonably interest between $4.75m and $5.25m,” Christie’s International agent Shane Clinton says. He’s marketing it as a “resort-feel beachside home for those wanting the ultimate Avalon lifestyle.”

Tilley’s pastiche of styles possibly channels the retro feel of her early childhood with 1960s model mother Judith Baragwanath.