National clearance rate soars past 80 per cent

The top auction sale of the day went to 2 Kitchener Road, Hamilton which sold under the hammer for $5.8 million. Matt Lancashire of Ray White Collective sold the property which was bought by a local buyer.

The highest number of bidders nationally was once again in Adelaide. Samuel Paton of Ray White Marion sold 16 Barkuna Avenue, Mitchell for $1,060,000 with 20 registered bidders.

Home sellers who took their property to auction today were rewarded with 8.9 per cent more on average than if they had accepted any prior offer received during their campaign.

According to NurtureCloud, which tracks Ray White’s open homes, there were 24,387 attendees at open homes across the country today, with the busiest one at 1/469 Fullarton Road, Highgate in South Australia with 129 attendees.

The winter lull is real, with only a handful of auctions proceeding in Sydney today.

Ray White NSW & ACT head of auctions David McMahon said 54 per cent of the 105 auctions booked in Sydney did not proceed today with many selling prior or being postponed.

“There is a traditional lull with reduced activity during winter across the city. Of the few auctions that did proceed, we saw strong buyer depth with 5.8 average registered bidders and 3.0 actively bidding,” Mr McMahon said.

“Of the 24 auctions conducted in Sydney today, we sold 92.5 per cent of them.”

15 Kate Street, Turramurra

• Sold under the hammer for $2.965 million

• 11 registered bidders, six active

• Lead agent: Liana Power - 0403 691 747

• Ray White Upper North Shore

Liana Power said this deceased estate had been owned by the same family since it was built in the 1960s.

“They had extended it and added it over time.The two sisters selling the home were absolutely over the moon. The highest offer received when we initially launched it off-market was $2.5 million. We helped them to the painting, replaced the carpenters, and styled it beautifully before listing it,” Ms Power said.

The winning bidders, Amin and Sara, an upsizing family from Normanhurst, were in disbelief that they had secured the keys.

“It was within our budget, and the location was perfect. It ticked many boxes. We were actively looking in the market for a couple of months,” Amin said.

“The auction was spectacular; so many people showed up early in the morning and we were nervous when we saw the big crowd!

“We have attended in-room auctions before, but never on-site. It was hard to believe that we had any chance at the beginning. We are thrilled to be in this area; we have friends and shop and gym here regularly. It is amazing that we can finally call it home.

84 Rosemont Street, Punchbowl

• Sold under the hammer for $1.305 million

• Five registered bidders, four active

• Lead agent: John Yatman - 0423 344 868

• Ray White Punchbowl

John Yatman said the home had been owned by the same lady for more than 50 years before she recently moved into a nursing home.
“It was a much-loved family home in original condition, and we were honoured to help the family transition to the next chapter,” Mr Yatman said.

The winning bidder, Mohammad, actually sold his home with Mr Yatman just earlier this week.

“It’s very close to where my daughter and son are studying locally, and the house is ready to live in - I don’t have to do anything, which was a big drawcard,” Mohammad said.
“I bought and sold via auction with John this week, it’s very exciting. I love the transparency of the auction method. John is a great man, very trustworthy and not pushy. He gets the job done.”

9/34 Bream Street, Coogee

• Sold under the hammer for $1.51 million

• Nine registered bidders, three active

• Lead agent: Sam Capra - 0419 500 055

• Ray White Park Coast East

• Auctioneer: James Keenan, Ray White

Sam Capra said the auction attracted strong interest from first home buyers, with all nine registered bidders being young couples hoping to break into the Coogee market.
“Every buyer there was a first home buyer, some had their parents with them for support. The couple who won had been looking in the area for a while and were absolutely thrilled to secure the property,” Mr Capra said.

The seller was a remarkable 91-year-old woman who had owned the unit as an investment since the 1970s.
“She still lives independently in the Northern Beaches and insisted on taking the ferry and tram to the auction, even though I offered to get her or send an Uber!” Mr Capra said.
“She’s unbelievable. When I started my career over 30 years ago, she was one of my very first clients.”

Auction volumes across Victoria have dipped slightly, but sellers are reaping the rewards as strong buyer activity continues to drive competitive results.

Ray White Victoria scheduled 180 auctions this week, a 10 per cent drop year-on-year, yet demand remains high, buoyed by falling interest rates and growing interstate investor interest.

“This slight tightening in auction volume is actually working in favour of sellers,” said Ray White Victoria chief auctioneer Jeremy Tyrrell. “We’re seeing buyers compete harder for fewer opportunities, particularly in the lead-up to the end of the financial year. Lower rates and talk of more cuts to come are adding further fuel to the fire.”

Mr Tyrrell said that at 112 Kirkwood Avenue, Seaford, eight bidders battled it out from 9:30am for a neat three-bedroom home on 697sqm, which sold for $901,000.

Investors Courtney and Fran from Rowville eventually secured the bayside property in what Mr Tyrrell described as “a textbook example of auction energy translating to a standout result.”

In Melbourne’s north, 12 registered bidders drove a competitive auction at 61 Academy Drive, Broadmeadows. The three-bedroom home sold for $715,000, with local buyer Ekrim and his wife celebrating their third property purchase. “It was my first time bidding and I was terrified,” Ekrim said. “We had a budget of $710,000, but I figured five grand more wouldn’t hurt, and it paid off.”

Ray White Victoria’s auction clearance rate for the week came in at 72.4 per cent.

7 Ward Street, Cheltenham

• Sold under the hammer for $1.065 million

• Eight bidders

• Lead agent/auctioneer: Trevor Bowen - 0417 501 327

• Ray White The Bayside Group

Trevor Bowen said the auction drew a crowd of more than 100 people out onto the street, with the marathon event clocking 32 bids in total.
“The second bid put it on the market. The winning bidders were a downsizing couple from Endeavour Hills, accompanied by their son on the day,” Mr Bowen said.

Seller Fran said the sale was a bittersweet moment, with the deceased estate property belonging to her late mother for eight years.
“We’re over the moon. Trevor actually sold another home for Mum years ago, and she would have been absolutely chuffed with how this one went,” Fran said.
“It was the perfect house for her - warm, sunny, on a small manageable block, and still close to her friends. She had everything she wanted and loved living in the Golden Triangle for 30 years.
“The single-level layout and not having to worry about body corporate was ideal. It’s also perfect for the new downsizers; they won’t know themselves!”

Fran praised the Ray White team for their confident and capable handling of the campaign.
“We had no hesitation handing over the reins. We hired them because they’re the best for the job. Going to auction was the right advice, it just made good, practical sense.
“The sun was shining, the neighbours were lovely, and the property is one of a kind.”

16 Robert Street, Balwyn North

• Sold under the hammer for $2.7 million

• 10 bidders

• Lead agent / auctioneer: Andrew Mizzi

• Ray White Bundoora

Andrew Mizzi said the home belonged to the same owner for 40 years, and the campaign drew significant attention with 95 groups through inspections and over 100 people attending the auction.
“We were expecting somewhere in the early $2 millions, so we were absolutely thrilled with this result,” Mr Mizzi said.
“It was a really exciting auction with strong competition from all bidders and no vendor bids. The winning bidder was on the phone, bidding from interstate.”

Mr Mizzi said most interest came from buyers looking to knock down and rebuild on the 650sqm block.
“This was all about the land value. It’s across from parkland, surrounded by great schools - it’s a fantastic spot for families with kids.”

51 Cashin Street. Inverloch

• Sold under the hammer for $1.21 million

• Three bidders

• Lead agent: Fiona McMahon-Hughes - 0417 743 355

• Ray White Inverloch

• Auctioneer: Megan Harris, Ray White

Fiona McMahon-Hughes said around 40 people gathered on a picture-perfect day to watch the auction unfold.
“The sun was shining, the bidding opened at $800,000, and we declared it on the market shortly after the $1 million mark,” Ms McMahon-Hughes said.

“Both families were incredibly happy. The purchasers are thrilled to have secured their family home in Inverloch, and the sellers were equally excited to be handing the keys to such a lovely new family.”

The vendors are relocating to Wangaratta to be closer to family, and were delighted by the result and the auction process.
“They were hoping for a result that would allow them to move quickly – and they got just that,” Ms McMahon-Hughes said.

Seller Zoe said the lead-up to auction day was nerve-wracking but worth it.
“It was a nervous build-up, but it was an incredible result,” Zoe said.
“I actually know the buyer, she’s a member at my pilates studio! She’s a local with a young family and just as stoked with the outcome.
“We’re moving to Wangaratta where I grew up. We’ll rent for now and start looking to buy; it’s all very exciting. We’re actually heading to a winery now to celebrate!”

2/33 Haig Street, Heidelberg Heights

• Sold under the hammer for $789,000

• Two bidders

• Lead agent/auctioneer: Kaylah Guerra - 0406 655 389

• Ray White Macleod

Kaylah Guerra said the buyers were holidaying interstate and won the auction via phone bidding. “There was strong competition throughout, and it was a great result for both parties,” Ms Guerra said.

The property had been owned as an investment for 16 years by Catherine and a friend of hers, who were initially unsure about going to auction.
“We were anxious at the start about the auction method, which is probably what everyone feels, but it ended up being the perfect time to sell and hand it over to someone starting their next chapter,” Catherine said.
“We were really happy to hear it went to a young family, they’ll absolutely love it here.” Catherine said Kaylah had previously sold her home and that her confidence in her abilities made the process easy.
“She really knows what she’s doing, and we trusted her to go with the auction process. She’s professional, focused, and has a great manner about her.”

Ray White Queensland Chief Auctioneer Gavin Croft said there was great energy across auction floors right across Brisbane today.

At the Ray White Collective in-room auction event at the Calile Hotel close to $9.5M in properties were sold under the hammer.

The highest price achieved was a six-bedroom, five-bathroom home at 2 Kitchener Road, Hamilton which sold for a whopping $5.8 million under the hammer to a local buyer.

Ray White Collective principal and chief auctioneer Haesley Cush said there was everything on the market from entry level to high end luxury homes.

“It was competitive bidding between three or four buyers in front of a few hundred people,” Mr Cush said.

“The room was packed.”

Lead agent Matt Lancashire who spearheaded the sale of 2 Kitchener Road said there was plenty of “great spirited bidding”.

Mr Cush said the in-room auctions “had it all”.

“There were entry level homes including a two-bedroom, one-bathroom, one-car and no kitchen at 1/42 Pine Street, Hamilton which sold for $550,000 and had seven registered bidders.

“It represented a great opportunity to get into the market - there were a lot of first home buyers and investors.”

Mr Cush said at today’s auction event there were registered bidders in all price brackets.

“This is another indicator that the Brisbane market is strong, with stock numbers set to increase in the new year,” he said.

“There are more than enough buyers for those new properties.”

Some results from the in-room auction held at the Calile Hotel on Saturday.

2 Kitchener Road, Hamilton

• Sold under the hammer for $5,800,000

• 5 registered bidders, 4 active bidders

• Lead agent: Matt Lancashire - 0416 476 480

• Ray White Collective

• Auctioneer: Haesley Cush, Ray White

18 Scott Street, Kedron

• Sold under the hammer for $1.575M

• 5 registered bidders, active bidders 3

• Lead agent: Nicholas Given - 0439 193 920

• Ray White Collective

• Auctioneer: Haesley Cush, Ray White

1/42 Pine Street, Hamilton

• Sold under the hammer for $500,000

• 5 registered bidders, 2 active bidders

• Lead agent: Nicholas Given - 0439 193 920

• Ray White Collective

• Auctioneer: Haesley Cush, Ray White

101 Swan Street, Gordon Park

• Sold under the hammer for $1.7 million

• 7 registered bidders, 4 active bidders

• Lead agent: Holly Bowden - 0431 922 110

• Ray White Wilston

• Auctioneer: Christian Hamilton, Ray White

Bec Tuttle and her husband Louis sold their renovated home at 101 Swan Street, Gordon Park under the hammer for a suburb record of $1.7 million on Saturday morning.

Ms Bowden said the property sold for the highest price for a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home on a 405sqm block by $200,000.

“I sold the last one in the area for $1.5 million earlier this year, just two doors down and at the time that was a record price,” Ms Bowden said.

“Now, this is the new record price.”

Ms Bowden said another agent from a different brand was looking to buy the property on auction day for himself, identifying it as a “good piece of real estate”.

Mrs Tuttle said she was “pretty relieved and very happy” with the outcome of the auction.

“The auction process with Holly was so seamless,” Mrs Tuttle said.

“We felt super comfortable the whole way through. We had regular updates from Holly about potential buyers and appreciated her honesty.

“We knew what to expect on auction day and had an idea of what the situation would be like.”

Mrs Tuttle and her husband, and their son Harry (2), were at the auction on-site and said they had plans to move closer to family.

A buyer’s agent purchased the property on behalf of a young couple looking to relocate from New York.

63 Bankside Street, Nathan

• Sold under the hammer for $1.17M

• 11 registered bidders, 4 active bidders

• Lead agent: Bevin Powell - 0405 650 609

• Ray White Annerley

In front of a crowd of about 40 people Terry Watts and his wife Marilyn sold their three-bedroom investment property at 63 Bankside Street, Nathan under the hammer for $1.17M.

“We are getting old and it was time to sell it,” Mr Watts said.

“It had been rented out for about 20 years.”

Mr Watts, a grandfather-of-five, said he was “very pleased” with the outcome of Saturday’s auction.

“We got well above the reserve,” he said.

“Bevin sold my daughter’s house just up the road a few years ago.

“We wouldn’t go past Bevin, and we really enjoyed the auction process.

“We went with his advice to sell the property via auction and we received constant updates and were kept informed with everything every step of the way.”

The property was once owned by Mrs Watts’ aunty before she passed away, Mr Watts said.

10 Kalbarri Rise, Regents Park

• Sold under the hammer for $1,038,000

• 7 registered bidders, 5 active

• Lead agent: Emma Walter - 0404 478 102

• Ray White AKG

Ray White AKG agent Emma Walter sold her own five-bedroom home at auction for $1,038,000.

Ms Walter has lived at 10 Kalbarri Rise, Regents Park for the last seven years and said she loved the size of the property and the location in a cul-de-sac.

Ms Walter, who has plans to move to Heritage Park, said she was happy with today’s auction result.

“The buyer came a week before and offered $950,000 and wasn’t sure he’d be at the auction,” she said.

“He was not sure about the process, but ended up coming today, and ended up winning the auction for $1038 (more than the previous bid).

Ms Walter personally enjoyed the auction experience and said “I think that’s how we got the best price!”.

32 Selleheim Street, Grange

• Sold under the hammer for $3 million

• 4 registered bidders, 3 active bidders

• Lead agent: Alistair Macmillan - 0410 636 221

• Ray White Wilston

• Auctioneer: Mitch Peereboom

Ray White South Australia chief auctioneer John Morris said while it was a beautiful sunny winter’s day in Adelaide, numbers were down somewhat in terms of scheduled auctions across the state.

“That may be to do with the fact that a few weeks ago, it was a long weekend here and maybe some people thought they'd wait an extra week to put their property on the market,” Mr Morris said.

“However, one thing is remaining constant, and that is Ray White's market share of in excess of 40 per cent, which holds very, very strong.

“We have more auctions than anyone else in the state, and therefore, we have more data that we can play with. That data is suggesting that we will finish this financial year with many records being broken. “


He said our scheduled auctions were up by 15 per cent, and averaging about 250 auctions per month within the group.

“These are incredibly impressive numbers and it is testament to the agents that believe in the process and ensure that both sellers and buyers are ready for auction and comfortable with the process,” he said.

“I've been talking to many buyers recently and they have all praised the transparency that the auction method provides and while the majority of them have said that they probably paid a little more than they would have liked, they appreciated the fact that it is an open forum and they were given the opportunity to make that decision to outbid their competition on auction day.”


1 Fourth Avenue, St Morris

• Sold under the hammer for $1.8M

• 6 registered bidders, 3 active bidders

• Lead agent: Damien Fong - 0403 257 665

• Ray White Burnside

• Auctioneer: George Kargiotis

Seller Rob Marchetto was happy to see his property at 1 Fourth Avenue, St Morris sell under the hammer for $1.8M.

Mr Marchetto has owned the property for 3.5 years and was selling to purchase a property in Sydney.

Mr Marchetto, originally from Sydney, said he had hoped a family would buy the four-bedroom home.

He said agent Damien Fong was amazing to work with.

“We have done an auction before, but it wasn’t as good as this,” Mr Marchetto said.

“Damien has been very transparent. His communication before and during the auction was great - he is a great agent.”

Buyers Charlotte and Greg (pictured above) said they were thrilled to buy the home at auction.

“You just know what the market is when you are buying at auction - it’s more transparent,” she said.

Charlotte and her family currently live in Prospect and are ready to make their move to their new home in St Morris.

“We were looking for our next family home with extra space, and this home is in a beautiful area.”

Charlotte said agent Damien Fong had been fantastic to deal with.

“He was so responsive, available on text and the auctioneer was amazing - professional and not too pushy,” she said.

Ray White Western Australia CEO Mark Whiteman said that the listing numbers have tightened even further, with only 4,000 properties available in Perth at the moment, which has continued to put pressure on buyers.

“Demand from buyers, particularly with the recent interest rate cut has been very, very strong. We have been seeing great attendance levels at auctions and open homes, showing the level of interest from buyers,” Mr Whiteman said.

“It is a great time for sellers to capitalise on this demand. Contrary to popular belief, winter seems to be the best time to sell at the moment.”

14 Monash Street, Abbey (Bussleton)

• Sold under the hammer for $1.47 million

• Four registered bidders, all active

• Lead agent: Jason Cooper - 0407 770 426

• Ray White Stocker Preston

• Auctioneer: Mark Whiteman, Ray White

Jason and Mandi Cooper from Ray White Stocker Preston said there was a big crowd spectating the auction, with over 70 people there on the day to watch. People were spilling out onto the deck, the living room and the yard.

“It was the most miserable winter day, with threats of hail this morning, but the crowds still showed up,” Mandi said.

“Bussleton is fairly new to auctions, and we have had a lot of success since launching. Since joining Ray White, we have proved to the community how well auctions can work.

“The excitement of having it on-site too was brilliant. There were people who flew across from the interstate and bid. Mark Whiteman was brilliant, he brought the atmosphere in the terrible weather. It felt like we were at a wedding or party!”

The buyer was a person looking for a second home, from interstate.