Melbourne endured its first Saturday since stage four restrictions began, with a ban on in-person inspections affecting the city’s number of auctions – but strong sales arose from those that went ahead.
While in Sydney, a multi-generational family battled several other parties to secure their neighbour’s waterside home.
Latest realestate.com.au auction data shows New South Wales has a clearance rate of 71% for the week to date, while Victoria’s preliminary clearance rate currently stands at 81%.
Here’s what happened in the auction capitals today.
Melbourne
Auctions across metropolitan Melbourne have been operating online since the second lockdown began on 8 July, but the inability to inspect properties forced most of its 350 scheduled Saturday auctions to be sold early or withdrawn.
However, many agents conducted auctions from their living rooms today, yielding strong results for the vendors who pushed through.
One of the most expensive sales was a five-bedroom property in Black Rock. The home 12 Glenmore Crescent, sold by Ray White Carnegie, for $2.76 million – more than $300,000 above the top end of the price guide.
A Bundoora house at 50 Flannery Avenue, which had been held by one family since 1985, sold for $680,000 – well above the $600,000 reserve.
Five bidders, mostly first-home buyers, battled it out to secure the three-bedroom house.
In the city’s east, 2/1 Cornish Road in Burwood East sold for $957,000 under the hammer with 16 registered bidders.
Ray White Victoria chief executive Stephen Dullens said plenty of buyer demand had spurred on strong results since the latest lockdown announcement.
“We ended up calling about 50 auctions since Wednesday night and transacted quite a large number,” Mr Dullens said.
“A lot of buyers are still out there looking despite supply reducing.”
Read on for more of Melbourne’s Saturday auction coverage.
Sydney
Two generations of one family joined forces to secure their neighbour’s house at auction today in Sydney’s south.
The family paid $1,897,000 for the house on Cumbee Lane in Carinbah South, which has stunning views of Port Hacking.
They beat “spirited” bidding from three of the six registered groups, driving the price $47,000 over the $1.85 million reserve.
Bought as a multi-generational home, the parents will live on the top level and their daughter and her fiance will occupy the bottom level.
In Darlinghurst, a beautifully presented two-bedroom apartment sold under the hammer for $1.93 million onsite with one bidder.
Fraser Turvey, from The Agency, said the market is “certainly not business as usual” but there is still plenty of demand from buyers.
“There’s many reasons why people are looking for new homes, whether upsizing, downsizing or relocating,” he said.
“[The COVID-19 climate] is not stopping people – numbers have been pretty high and results have still been strong.”
On the Northern Beaches, a four-bedroom Cromer home sold under the hammer for $1.8m with two bidders.
The modern family home at 43 Howse Crescent has panoramic views and ocean glimpses.
For more Sydney auction coverage, read here.
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