Wahroonga wonder tops the market with $9.5m
The nation’s top weekend auction sale was on Sydney’s upper north shore, where $9.5m was paid for a six-bedroom, four-bathroom house at Wahroonga.
The nation’s top weekend auction sale was on Sydney’s upper north shore, where $9.5m was paid for a six-bedroom, four-bathroom house on a 1720sq m estate at Wahroonga.
“With five registered bidders at this price point, it just goes to show that the top end is still firing,” Ray White selling agent David Walker said.
His price guide had been $9.5m. There were 3800 page views on realestate.com.au for Braeside St offering, which came with a north/south tennis court, pool, outdoor kitchen with barbecue and a guest house.
It last sold in 2017 at $5.9m when bought by Suqing Zhen, who co-directs the Fortuneland Investment company.
Zhen is upgrading locally, having recently paid $13.588m – the suburb’s second-highest price – for Claremont, another six-bedroom estate with tennis court and pool which was sold by education entrepreneur Charlotte Chou.
The extended 1939 Georgian-style home had previously traded in 2006 at $3.37m. when sold by the late IVF pioneer Geoffrey Driscoll and his widow Jan.
Sydney’s next priciest weekend listing was a four-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment at 7/129 Bower St, Manly. It remains listed for sale through Michael Clarke and Cherie Humel of Clarke and Humel.
Dating back to its 1929 construction, the 220sq m apartment space in the Borambil building sits on a beachfront location in the freehold section of Manly’s Eastern Hill. It last sold for $3,475,000 in 2011.
Hawthorn’s highest
Melbourne’s top notified sale was in Hawthorn, where the four-bedroom, two-bathroom brick Federation home at 6 Chrystobel Cres fetched $5,025,000.
The price guidance had been $4.5m to $4.95m.
Set in the Grace Park precinct, the slate-roofed single-storey home sits on a 985sq m holding.
It comes with a sweeping return verandah, a wide entry foyer and three reception rooms featuring bay windows, leadlight windows, pressed metal ceilings and open fireplaces.
It sold through Jellis Craig Boroondara agents Mike Beardsley and Mark Josem after 13,000-plus views on realestate.com.au.
The next most expensive advisory was in neighbouring Camberwell, when a four-bedroom home on an elevated 927sq m Fairfield Ave holding sold pre-auction for $3,680,000.
The third dearest was in South Melbourne where a double-fronted house sold for $3,155,000. The price guide on the four-bedroom home at 41 Ferrars Place had been $2.5m to $2.75m through Cayzer agent Simon Carruthers.
There was an undisclosed prestige sale in South Yarra when a newly built three-bedroom, three-bathroom home at 32 Caroline St, designed by ADDARC, reputedly sold for $5.25m. Set overlooking Caroline Gardens, its price guidance had been $4.6m to $5m.
Parkside shines
Adelaide at 83 per cent was the strongest capital city auction market, with its top sale at Parkside. A four-bedroom 1900 freestone villa renovated in 2016 by Folland Panozzo Architects fetched $2.36m through Georgie Todd and Todd Penrose at Harris Real Estate.
The 20 Birks St offering had last sold in 2010 at $1,050,000.
Canberra at 50 per cent was the weakest auction capital, although its priciest offering sold on auction eve. Historic Darlington, at 9 Tennyson Cres, Forrest, fetched an undisclosed price.
Featured in Home Beautiful magazine in 1931, the 3500sq m estate had $6m-plus price guidance.
It was being offered through Belle Property agent Louise Harget for only the fourth time since its 1929 construction to a design by architect Kenneth Oliphant for Sidney Ryan, a local dentist.
Melbourne’s clearance rate was 69 per cent and Sydney sat at 72 per cent, with the two majors having 24 listings priced at $5m or more.
Brisbane was at 64 per cent, although Ray White agent Matt Lancashire pulled Brisbane’s priciest offering from auction.
Centurion, the home with distinctive horseshoe-shaped atrium at 102 Outlook Cres, Bardon, was a collaboration by design, development and construction company Graya and Joe Adsett Architects. It attracted 8404 page views on realestate.com.au.
There was a $4.2m sale at Ascot on Sunday when Place Ascot agent Drew Davies auctioned a five-bedroom family home on a 810sq m Lonsdale St holding being offered for the first time in three decades.
A Sunshine Coast listing at Peregian Beach did not sell. 21 Pelican St is now listed at $5.45m through local agents Tom Offermann and Tracy Russell.
Volume rising
CoreLogic head of research Tim Lawless noted the 2334 national auction volume last week was the highest since the week before Easter.
The preliminary capital city clearance rate sat at 70 per cent last week, only down slightly from the prior week’s 71 per cent.
“The preliminary success rate has held above 70 per cent for 20 weeks running, but showing a subtle easing trend as the volume of auctions rises into spring,” Lawless advised.
My Housing Market chief economist Dr Andrew Wilson confirmed “relatively steady results at the weekend, although clearance rates are now clearly tracking below their recent peaks in most capitals.”
PropTrack economist Angus Moore calculated last week’s auction activity was 2 per cent higher than at the same time last year. He noted that national home prices rose 0.28 per cent in August, bringing them up 3.5 per cent so far this year.
Moore noted this week’s auction volume rise with PropTrack tracking around 3100 properties set to go under the hammer.
The following weekend will be quieter, particularly in Melbourne, due to the AFL Grand Final, school holidays and the Labour Day long weekend in some states.
The break will allow the mopping up of the mounting load of unsold prestige auctions.
Looking back at the 31 luxury properties scheduled to go to September 9 auction, five had postponed auctions and 12 were passed in and remain on the market.
Newtown record
Sydney’s residential listing with the most realestate.com.au views in the last week was the Newtown parkside warehouse conversion residence of former Star casino boss Matt Bekier and his wife, economist-turned-sculptor Melinda.
It has secured more than 160,000 views since its marketing got under way.
The Agency is giving $12m guidance, almost double Newtown’s recent record of $6.85m for a Victorian terrace on Hollis Park.
The Bekier’s property, The Bakery, was reimagined by Anna Carin Design Studio across its 749sq m of living space including Christian Lacroix wallpaper.
It comes with garaging for four vehicles, plus Tesla battery.
The couple purchased in 2020 for a then Newtown record of $5.8m from 2UE’s former Sydney general manager Bob Miller.
The property’s shopfront dates back to 1908 when it was built by baker William Dibble with the warehouse space added in 1922.
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