Online auctions offer up golden eggs

THERE are still plenty of opportunities to hunt for the perfect home this Easter week with online auction confidence still high.Between Tuesday and Saturday this week Ray White will hold more than 200 online auctions and if last Saturday’s campaign clearance of 52 per cent is anything to go by then expectations of this market remains solid.

The leading auction powerhouse has 24 auctions scheduled for Easter Saturday, mostly all in Melbourne, compared to just three last Easter. In fact last year, one sold on Easter Saturday while two sold prior so confidence remains higher in 2020 despite the global health crisis.

Ray White Lara sales agent Terry Cleary reports a huge influx of Melbournians turning their sights to Lara and Geelong, west of the state’s capital city.

The office is gearing up for four online auctions tonight (Tuesday 7 April) and expecting to sell their real estate to those wanting to move away from Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs. Mr Cleary is confident about the three bedroom home at 11 Richard Drive (pictured above) which has a price guide of $495,000 to $540,000.

“We’ve held a steady stream of private inspections. There has been a total of 16 through this period of time and in most cases they are genuine buyers,” Mr Cleary said.

“At the moment we’ve got a variety of interested buyers, there’s a young couple from the other side of Melbourne looking to move to Lara to start a business.

“Another lady we showed through on Saturday said she is looking to move from Blackburn because she’s now working in the area and a lady I spoke to this morning who wants to move back to Lara.

“There is also an investor and a first home buyer - so very much a mix of people.

“Lara and the whole Geelong area is still attracting Melbourne buyers because of the value it offers. Local people have always understood the true value of the area.”

Mr Cleary said that the “new normal” was not so much new but a return to the old when it comes to inspections.

“Because I've been in real estate for 17 years, I can see that we’re really just going back to the way we used to do things as far as inspections goes,” he said.

“Everything old is new again with inspections and the online auctions are obviously proving to work in today's environment. We are really encouraged by the uptake of buyers and vendors.”

Ray White Lara will be using Real Time Auctions and a link can be provided on request.

In the hills of Kurrajong, New South Wales, the Tallara estate at 75 Comleroy Rd is going under the hammer on Wednesday 8 April at 6:30pm.

Built by the seller and architecturally designed to recreate the stately beauty of a late Georgian and early Victorian home, a property like this doesn’t often come up.

“It’s part of a very upmarket estate and the property really matches this aesthetic,” Ray White North Richmond selling agent Cindy Cash said.

Ms Cash is expecting competitive bidding during the auction and has already had strong interest from both local and interstate buyers.

A link to the online auction is available on request.

Ray White Castle Hill are eager to power ahead with online auctions with business owner and principal Philip Kelly saying they have adapted well

“Since we’ve had to adapt to the changing environment we’ve put a lot of work into what we believe is one of the best offerings in the country for online auctions,” Mr Kelly said.

“We’ve had agents appointed to every bidder, helping them through and have sold five out of five properties since we’ve had to adapt.

“We’re not blind to the challenges but are focused on creating the most user friendly auctions that we can.

“We are the auction leaders in the area and through a fully integrated auction platform design we have been able to switch that leadership to the digital space.”

The office will have a range of properties on auction on Wednesday 8 April including the four bedroom 27 Ferguson Avenue, Castle Hill being represented by sales agent Joel Simpson.

“Up until Monday we’ve had 40 inspections over an auction campaign that started on March 21 with 30 of those groups being private inspections,” Mr Simpson said.

“We’ve had a bit of everyone coming through, definitely first home buyers because it’s an entry level home in Castle Hill but also renovators and builders who want to knock it down.

“Even in a normal market we would have had a lot of interest in a property like this because it’s a great home to enter the market with.

Castle Hill’s Wednesday night’s auctions are streamed live online here.

Also an auction leader in their area is the Ray White Canberra office which has two properties up for auction on Tuesday 7 April, another four on Wednesday 8 April and three on Thursday 9 April.

One to watch is 19 Khull Crescent, Kambah on Wednesday, April 8 which has garnered more than 70 interested parties through the property.

“We’re seeing a lot of first home buyers but we’ve had a good range all the way through," Ray White Canberra selling agent Kate Coultas said.

"It’s been very mixed because the property is on a 1277sqm block that backs onto a reserve and has been beautifully renovated and presented."

Canberra’s Wednesday night auctions are streamed live online here.

South Australia won’t be a stranger to online auctions this week, especially at Ray White Tea Tree Gully which has five properties to be under the virtual hammer on Wednesday, 8 April.

Principal Sam Doman is representing 8 Temby Court, Greenwith and 4 Philpott Avenue, Paradise (pictured above), both of which he said have interested bidders lined up.

“At 8 Temby Court we have had six groups through private inspections but they have definitely been more quality buyers. We have two registered bidders so far and one definite who will register before the day,” Mr Doman said.

“We’ve had two offers made already but the vendors are still eager to go to auction. The offers came from first home buyers as Greenwith is a hub for those wanting to enter the property market.”

At 4 Philpott Avenue, Mr Doman said the property has attracted buyers wanting to take advantage of the off-the-grid lifestyle it offers. Complete with fruit and vegetable garden, solar power and rainwater tanks, it’s the perfect sustainable eco-home.

“The property is amazing, it really is a house that if you don’t want to go buy consumables from the shops then you can grow at home,” he said.

“It’s been attracting a lot of buyer interest and we have already got registered bidders for this house as well so we’re expecting good things.”

Mr Doman also stressed the importance his office has placed on social distancing and adapting to the changing real estate market.

“We’ve been working virtually for a while now and it’s running smoothly. The virtual auction method is a great way to still buy and sell at the moment and more people should be looking to it at this time and not be scared away,” he said.

A link to the online auctions is available on request.

Apartment living in Brisbane’s highly-sought after West End area has brought in plenty of interested buyers from downsizers to first home buyers. Ray White West End principal Luke O’Kelly is seeing that strong interest at the two bedroom 20/28 Ferry Rd apartment to go under the hammer tonight at 6pm.

“Buyer interest has been strong, mainly owner occupiers that are younger couples and first home buyers,” Mr O’Kelly said.

“They are after the location which is close to the river and walking tracks and with the Woolworths going in later this year it should bring a lot of value to the area.

“We’ve had about 10 groups through and in this market that’s really good - we’re treating one buyer as equivalent to five and everyone coming through are genuine buyers with a high level of interest.”

Tonight will be Mr Kelly’s first online auction and he’s expecting a good outcome with three other properties also on the block. The auctions, called by Ray White Queensland chief auctioneer Mitch Peereboom, will take place through a Google Hangout with the aid of Bid Tracker.

A link to the online auction is available on request.