Auction wrap from around the grounds

THE Ray White Group recorded a 51 per cent preliminary clearance rate last week across its auctions in Australasia with a stunning Brisbane riverfront home at West End selling for the highest price under the hammer. More than 6400 people attended Ray White auctions this week, and we had 518 active bidders which was 15 per cent less than last week. The highest number of registered bidders was 10, and 2.8 was the average number of registered bidders. The average crowd size at each of our auctions were 29 people.

The highest sale of the week was 105 Ryan St, West End which sold under the hammer for $3.05M. It’s the first time a property in Ryan St’s waterfront pocket has sold since 2014. More than 80 people enjoyed breezes flowing through the tri-level architecturally designed 105 Ryan St home as the auction unfolded, with Ray White auctioneer Haesley Cush leading the way. Bidding was opened with no hesitation at $2.2 million, with that figure skyrocketing to $2.9 million within 60 seconds. Mr Cush coaxed bidders to $3 million, when the auction was paused. After some lengthy to and fro between the vendors, bidders and agents, the property was sold under the hammer to a couple for $3,050,000. Ray White New Farm principal Matt Lancashire said there were four registered bidders, and the property went for a higher figure than most others in the area. “There hasn’t been a sale on the riverfront in this area for quite a substantial amount of time, and most of those have been in the $2 million dollar region, so to achieve a result over $3 million (means) we’re really happy,” he said. According to CoreLogic data, it is the highest sale in Ryan St this year.

Earlier in the day, minutes was all it took to sell an elevated Albion Queenslander. A crowd of 120 people gathered to watch on as seven registered bidders battled it out for the keys to 12 Bale St. Ray White Ascot agent Nick Kouparitsas said the auction was over almost as soon as it had started, with an opening bid of $690,000. “Bidding went up in really fast in rises of $10,000 until it reached about $840,000,” Mr Kouparitsas said. “It sold within may three or four minutes, tops.” The three-bedroom home sold under the hammer for $866,000. This was the biggest crowd of the week so congratulations to Nick Kouparitsas for doping such great work ahead of game day.

A LALOR couple parted with their dream home of 35 years as competition between four bidders showed the enduring appeal of solid brick design. Sellers Angela and Peter Frisina had admired the six-bedroom house at 50 Burton St while living one street away and made it their own in 1982. “One day I went shopping and I walked up and there it was with a sign ‘for sale,’ the house we had always liked,” Ms Frisina remembered. “As soon as we walked in we thought ‘oh my god.’ We loved the foyer and when we found out it was solid brick and concrete, that sealed the deal.” The Frisinas paid $91,000 for the double-brick property back then, and on Saturday the hammer fell to a young family at $752,500 after a lengthy battle between several groups.The property had a price guide of $700,000-$770,000. Ray White, Thomastown, agent Petar Djeparoski said it would top $1.5 million to build the same quality property today, and Mr Frisina agreed. “They don’t build them like that anymore because of the expense,” he said. The couple raised their two children at the two-storey home, which showcases unchanged character through its eye-catching tiles, exposed brick, glass doors and balusters. Ms Frisina said she loved the home’s grandeur, “It stands out and says ‘I’m here’ kind of thing, and it doesn’t look flimsy.” The couple are downsizing to Tootgarook with their dog Rocky and plan to spend their time by the beach. “It’s sad to leave, my husband’s going to be very emotional, but we’ve had 35 good years,” Ms Frisina said. New owner Vikram Marwaha said he and wife Stella were attracted to the double-brick build, high fence and security of the property, which they would spend about $100,000 updating.

A MASTERFULLY renovated house attracted five bidders to fetch a big sum at auction this weekend. Check out how the house went from drab to fab before heading under the hammer. A couple in the market for a dog-friendly home has collared an expertly renovated Seddon cottage at auction. Sophie Taylor and David Brown outlasted four other bidders to win the keys to the three-bedroom house in the western suburb’s “heritage pocket” for $1,387,500. The immaculate pad at 27 Tennyson Sthit reserve one bid before the hammer came down, at $1.38 million. Ms Taylor said she and her husband would welcome staffy puppy Rosie into their family in two weeks’ time, and needed a home that would accommodate the pooch better than their Fitzroy warehouse apartment. They also loved the 1901 residence’s “beautifully done” reno, she said: “We were willing to go a bit more.” Vendor Chris Le paid $931,000 for the then two-bedroom Edwardian in April 2016. He said the “layout wasn’t right” at the time. The kitchen and bathrooms were in the “wrong spots” and there was “a lot of dead space”. “It’s a good home on a good street, so I took it on,” he said. “I basically reconfigured the whole house internally and added another bedroom. It took more than a year. “It’s like a brand new house now.”