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No. 53 Govett St, Randwick, has smashed the suburb price record.

A Randwick home in the same family for 40 years has sold for more than $6.75m — $1.5m above the guide price and smashing the suburb record by $350k. It hit the market yesterday.

McGrath agents Stephen McMorrow and Angus Gorrie instantly had buyers fighting over the Federation home on a rare 836 sqm block at 53 Govett St.

The deal was done this afternoon, though negotiations had already started when it was off-market. It’s understood the purchasers are a family from Paddington.

Explaining the huge result so quickly and especially during the pandemic, McMorrow said: “There’s been no house on the market in Govett St — one of the best streets in Randwick — with a north-facing backyard on that size block of land for 20 years.”

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The huge north-facing backyard had a lot to do with the big result.

Charming interiors.

The agents had a price guide of $5.25m.

Stephen McMorrow said he was bound by a confidentiality agreement regarding the exact sale price, but said the result was more than $350k above any other house sale in Randwick.

With the previous record being $6.4m for a house in Rae St three years ago, that put the sale price for the Govett St house at more than $6.75m.

Angus Gorrie added it was “a killer price”.

The kitchen is probably due for an update.

Neutral tones may work better in the dining room.

He said that despite COVID-19, vendors with quality homes should have confidence to sell in the current market.

“We had 81 email inquiries last night,” he added.

“There is confidence in that price bracket … Randwick north is highly sought after, but this house needs a lot of work.

Outdoor entertaining …

… And there’s a pool.

“The last time it was renovated was 30 years ago, so we’re not talking about a finished house here.”

The property has been owned by the Jones family since 1983, when it was purchased for the grand some of $226,500.

The block had an 18.3m wide frontage. And there’s a pool. A double garage is accessed via a rear lane.

Centennial Park and the village cafes on Clovelly Road are close by.

The post Paddington buyer smashes Randwick house price record with $6.75m+ sale appeared first on realestate.com.au.

44 Calton Rd, Gawler East. Supplied by Smallacombe Real Estate.

THE Gawler area is fast emerging as a hotspot for people seeking an affordable treechange within commutable distance of the CBD.

Smallacombe Real Estate’s Robyn Coles says a home she was selling at 44 Calton Rd, Gawler East has sold within two weeks of launching on realestate.com.au and in that time attracted almost 2500 views on the search site.

“To date it’s been viewed 2256 times,” Ms Coles says.

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“I thought it would go very quickly.

“It’s a real boom spot – people can’t afford Stirling, and Bridgewater and Crafers are getting up there now.

“It’s been a secret for a long time and has been a bit of a sleeper, but the lights are going on and a lot of people are realising it offers the same feel as if you were to go up the freeway into Woodside and Hahndorf.

“The north-south connector has helped a bit, but you still get a good run going up Main North Rd.”

44 Calton Rd, Gawler East. Supplied by Smallacombe Real Estate.

The property was featured in the Real Estate Magazine last Saturday, with Ms Coles saying it helped attract strong interest.

“The editorial gave it a real boost and really helped attract family groups,” Coles says.

“We had six groups through on the Saturday and then 14 groups through on the Sunday.

“A lot of those had seen the home in the paper on Saturday and then come up on Sunday for a look.

“We’re seeing a lot of people from the suburbs wanting to go more rural, and this area – Gawler and that belt between One Tree Hill and Williamstown – is still affordable, whereas the Adelaide Hills is too expensive for people now.

“I’m seeing huge interest in Gawler at the moment – there are no rentals and properties are flying off the shelf. I can’t wait to sell more up here.”

44 Calton Rd, Gawler East. Supplied by Smallacombe Real Estate.

The home is set on 2666sqm of sprawling gardens and has five bedrooms and a covered inground swimming pool.

Ms Coles says buyers are looking for a more back-to-basics way of living, and seeking homes with spacious and productive gardens.

“The gardens here are gorgeous – they are the sort of gardens and fruit trees you’d find in a lovely eastern suburbs home,” Ms Coles says.

“Our values have changed and people are going back to basics — the basic values we grew up with around feeling comfortable and safe, this is like going to a relative’s home that’s a home, and a lot of houses these days don’t feel like a home.

Ms Coles says the home sold to a “Cockatoo Valley family with three gorgeous little boys”.

Harcourts Sargeant agent Jayne Tozer says interest in the Gawler area has increased since the completion of the northern expressway.

44 Calton Rd, Gawler East. Supplied by Smallacombe Real Estate.

“You’ve got an easy commute to the city, and then you’ve got the Barossa Valley in the opposite direction, so it’s the best of both worlds,” Ms Tozer says.

“I’ve just recently moved a couple of families up from Semaphore and Taperoo sort of way up to the Galwer area and they’re looking for that sense of space.

“And you get a lot more for your money here – I think that’s why a lot more first time homebuyers move out here as well, because they do get so much more for your money.”

Ms Tozer says buyers are also looking for a simpler way of living.

“People are really looking for that country living and growing their own food,” she says.

“I’m a country girl, so I love seeing city people moving their children out to the country because there are so many benefits, especially when it comes to schools and that community lifestyle.

“When you live in a country community everyone gets to know everybody and when you go to the shops people recognise you.”

The post Fast sale at Gawler East highlights a new housing hotspot appeared first on realestate.com.au.

40 Staceys Rd, Connewarre.

Geelong expats vying for the chance to return to the region contested a sprawling property with views over Lake Connewarre.

The 13.4ha property at 40 Staceys Road, Connewarre, sold for a price in the vicinity of $3 million, the Advertiser understands.

Richardson, Newtown agent Matt Poustie said the five-bedroom residence attracted plenty of interest from local and Melbourne buyers, but it was buyers seeking to return to the region who remained at the end of the campaign last week.

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Mr Poustie wouldn’t disclose the sale price, but said it continued the record of premium results being achieved at this particular lakefront pocket of Connewarre.

“Neither buyer was from the Geelong region,” he said.

40 Staceys Rd, Connewarre.

The spa is an ideal spot to end the day.

“One was an expat coming back, the other was from around Macedon looking to come closer to family and make a sea-change.”

The property, Kanandah, occupies an elevated position with views of Lake Connewarre towards Geelong, where the GMHBA Stadium lights are visible at night.

The vista is front and centre from the home, which has a wall of windows as a backdrop from the main living and dining area.

40 Staceys Rd, Connewarre is near Barwon Heads, Geelong and Torquay.

Options to enjoy the end of the day are plentiful.

It gets better outside.

A covered entertainment area is complete with a built-in oven, a separate pergola has a fire pit and the spa beneath the extensive north-facing veranda seems the perfect place to watch the sun go down.

The property is divided into three main paddocks and has direct private access to Lake Connewarre, a dam, cattle yards with a crush and troughs connected to town water.

Outdoor entertainment options.

The main living area is a light, airy room.

The property’s sale price sat between the two most-recent sales in Staceys Road of $2.5m and $4m.

“It’s a very good result. It’s an extremely good road, Staceys Road,” Mr Poustie said.

“It’s a very lucrative blue-chip pocket.

“When you think about it, it’s a lot of money to spend, but those views don’t come around often.”

The post Lake Connewarre: Expats snare dream lifestyle property with a big price tag appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Land sales in Perth have surged to a record high as new home buyers take up government subsidies designed to keep the construction industry afloat during the coronavirus crisis.

New statistics compiled by the Urban Development Institute of Australia Western Australia show a 30-year record was set with the highest ever number of blocks sold in the June quarter.

The UDIA WA statistics show there were 3322 new lots sold in the June quarter compared with 1999 the previous quarter, heralding a 126% increase in land sales across the state.

The survey found the average price of lots sold in the period was $226,400 and the average block size was 371sqm.

The data, which has been collected since 1990, is based on surveys of Perth’s major land developers.

The City of Swan in Perth’s eastern suburbs was the most popular for land sales, with more than 1000 blocks sold in the period, while the City of Wanneroo, in Perth’s north, recorded 800 transactions.

Government stimuli has given buyers the push 

UDIA WA chief executive, Tanya Steinbeck, said the boom in land sales had been fuelled by state and federal government home building stimulus offerings.

“Despite significant economic impacts across the country and indeed the globe, the Perth market is holding strong and providing fantastic opportunities for new home buyers,” Ms Steinbeck said.

“While demand has surged, average prices for new land have remained relatively steady at $226,400,” she said. “Comparative to other capital cities in Australia, Perth remains an affordable and stable option for those looking to enter the market.

“New land prices have risen just 0.8% over the quarter and 2% since the same time last year.”

Perth’s strong property market conditions are providing fantastic opportunities for new home buyers. Picture: Getty

In June, the WA Government announced $20,000 grants on the back of the $25,000 HomeBuilder grant from the Federal Government for owner-occupiers who build or substantially renovate their homes.

West Australians embarking on new home projects can now potentially access up to $45,000 in grants as well as other concessions.

The WA Government also expanded the 75% off-the-plan transfer duty rebate, capped at $25,000, to include purchases in multi-tiered developments already under construction in addition to pre-construction contracts.

Contracts must be entered into between 4 June and 31 December 2020.

The WA market has shown resilience during COVID-19

Nerida Conisbee, chief economist at realestate.com.au, said the West Australian property market had shown considerable strength during COVID, with a considerable amount of activity among first-home buyers.

“Perth is showing a lot of positivity at the moment,” Ms Conisbee said. “House and land, in particular, seem to be the most popular new development type nationally, but Perth in particular.

“The big driver is first-home buyers. When we look at Perth, we’ve seen more than a quadrupling of enquiries coming through from first-home buyers. Perth is actually the strongest market at the moment in terms of what we’re seeing in terms of growth.

“As well, WA provides one of the most generous first home buyer incentives in Australia at the moment… and first-home buyers would be a key part of the market driving that.”

New home builders are striving to meet demand

Satterley chief executive, Nigel Satterley, said the company had hastened the release of several new stages of developments to help meet demand.

“The generous government grants have had a dramatic effect on sales and our estate managers have been extremely busy trying to keep up with all the enquiries,” Mr Satterley said.

New home builders have brought forward developments to keep up wth demand. Picture: Getty.

“We have brought forward stages in many of our developments to be able to keep up with the demand.

“These grants are so important in ensuring job certainty for all the trades that contribute to housing construction and to ensure the WA economy can keep growing during the pandemic.”

Ms Steinbeck said the tight timeframes in which stimulus packages are available had caused a rush of potential buyers.

“The industry has had to ramp up quickly to meet such an influx in demand,” she said.

“We saw a flurry of buyers hit the market when the stimulus measures were first announced and this initial influx has settled down somewhat.

“UDIA WA’s survey shows that there are approximately 7500 new lots either on the market or under construction. This is more than enough to meet demand as long as we can get approvals and titles issued in a timely manner.”

The post Perth land sales spike as buyers take up coronavirus stimuli en masse appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Dionnie Fahour, the ex-wife of former Australia Post boss Ahmed Fahour, has sold her Elwood home in a deal behind closed doors.

An undisclosed result was also secured for 84 Ruskin Street, which originally hit the market with a $3.1-$3.4m price guide.

But Ms Fahour was forced to discount her asking price during the 60-day campaign to $3-$3.19m, before scoring a sale.

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84 Ruskin St, Elwood has been sold by Dionnie Fahour.

Ahmed and Dionnie Fahour split in 2018.

Abercromby’s agent Simon Curtain would not comment on the vendor’s identity or the final sale price, but said both buyer and seller were “delighted” by the result.

“It sold shortly after a private auction, which was directly impact by COVID-19 restrictions,” Mr Curtain said.

“We had two or three buyers hovering around the property at all times, with one being a standout who eventually bought the home.”

The property sold for an undisclosed price.

A formal living room at the front of the house.

He said the buyer was from Melbourne. The four-bedroom house featured a glamorous kitchen, large pool, separate garage and self-contained studio.

Ms Fahour only bought the property in September last year for $3.222m, according to CoreLogic.

Realestate.com.au data showing the suburb’s median house prices dipped by 2.6 per cent to $1.9m in the past 12 months.

An open-plan living area flows out to the pool.

The property sold in a private deal.

The vendor split from the former NAB and Australia Post chief executive in 2018. They previously owned a Hawthorn penthouse together at 603/862 Glenferrie Road, which had been on the sales and rental market earlier this year before being taken down.

Mr Fahour also owns two other Hawthorn properties: landmark manor Invergowrie on Coppin Grove, which he bought for $22m in 2013 and attempted to sell for $40-$44m in 2018, and a Kinkora Rd mansion he paid $16.25m for in 2018.

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The post Dionnie Fahour: Ex-wife of Ahmed Fahour sells Elwood home appeared first on realestate.com.au.