Parents ready to downsize as kids leave the nest

“Before the auction started we knew there was only one bidder so it put a dampener on things,” Mr Fowlds said.

“We bought this house at auction eight years ago and it was interesting to compare - we were the only bidders at that time too.

“When we bought this house, the auction took place on the pool side of the property and this morning we did it at the front.”

Mr Fowlds said Ray White Upper North Shore agent Tim Latham was “very professional” throughout the campaign and even on the day of the auction provided regular bidding updates.

The couple (pictured above) are downsizing from their six-bedroom four-bathroom home to Sydney’s Northern Beaches as their daughter recently got married, and their son has moved out and is renting with a mate.

Mr Latham said there was a huge turnout at today’s auction with 70 people watching on.

“This is a very unusual house for the area,” Mr Latham said.

“It has been quite popular, it sits on the high side of the street and is very grand.

“We always knew there would be a small group of buyers but those who like it, just love it!”

He said the sellers were “wrapped” with the sale price of their home.

This sale was one of just 304 homes booked at auction today across Ray White’s Australian network.

Ray White’s top auction sale of the day was at 3 Bimburra Avenue, St Ives in NSW for $4.5 million.

The property was sold by Ray White Upper North Shore agent Coco Cui Roskam.

There were 12 registered bidders and six active bidders.

The leading group cleared 79 per cent per cent of all auctions today and recorded an average of 4.9 registered bidders and 3.2 active bidders per auction today.

The auction with the highest number of registered bidders was marketed by Ray White Hillcrest agent Baldeep Dang who recorded 23 registered bidders at 19 Cooke Street, Modbury. The property sold under the hammer for $939,000.

According to NurtureCloud, Ray White conducted 6,421 open homes across the nation today, with 27,781 attendees. The open home with the most attendees was at 31 Perrott Street, Paddington. The property, which was listed by Ray White Paddington agent Max Hadgelias, welcomed 72 attendees through today’s open homes.

Ray White NSW Head of Auctions Dave McMahon said the news that the cash rate remained on hold this week didn’t slow down buyers’ confidence today as the group averaged 5.1 registered and 3.2 active bidders.

“We had 101 scheduled auctions across and interestingly on the same weekend in 2024 we scheduled 97 auctions with 4.2 registered bidders per auction,” Mr McMahon said.

“With a clearance rate of 91 per cent, the glaring statistic each week is that we continue to only conduct 30-35 per cent of our 101 scheduled auctions which is down circa 20 per cent year on year.

“This is a statistic that our auction department is tracking closely and will continue to monitor over the coming months.”

86 King Road, Wahroonga

• Sold under the hammer for $2.905 million

• 1 registered and active bidder

• Lead agent: Tim Latham - 0493 599 009

• Ray White Upper North Shore

Buyers of the Wahroonga property, Karenza Horwood and her husband Scott, (pictured above) were very “happy and excited” about their new home which they purchased under the hammer.

The couple from Lindfield had been looking to upsize in the area.

Mrs Horwood said she loved Tudor-style homes.

“That was one of the selling points for me,” she said.

“And space! We have two boys, and with a pool and several nooks within the home I think it will be perfect for us.”

It was the first time the couple had bought a house at auction.

“I was anxious to begin with,” Mrs Horwood said.

“I didn’t think we would get the house as there were so many people there.”

She said the auction process had its benefits because there was more transparency.

102 First Avenue, Berala

• Sold under the hammer for $1.440 million

• 7 registered bidders, 4 active bidders

• Lead agent: Patrick Sioud - 0405 21 21 81

• Ray White Bankstown

104 Chapel Lane, Baulkham Hills

• Sold under the hammer for $2,340,000

• 6 registered bidders, 3 active bidders

• Lead agent Daniel Llamas - 0421 908 736

• Ray White Castle Hill

55 Callagher Street, Mount Druitt

• Sold under the hammer for $1.082 million

• 12 registered bidders, 7 active bidders

• Lead agent: Meshel Bahnam - 0478 664 123

• Ray White United Group

• Auctioneer: Alex Pattaro, Ray White

Buyer Suraj Ranganathan said he had been looking for a property on a larger block for “quite some time”.

“What drew us here was the area and the infrastructure coming up,” Mr Ranganathan said.

“For us, the main thing was the location.”

Ray White United Group Lead agent Meshel Bahnam said the three-bedroom one-bathroom property was a deceased estate on a 765sqm block of land.

“We had a lot of interest from upsizers, and developers,” he said.

60 Crown Street, Riverstone

• Sold under the hammer for $1.271 million

• 9 registered bidders, 7 active bidders

• Lead agents: Kael Sharp - 0435 821 736 and Mustafa Hidari 0420 524 088

• Ray White Castle Hill

Ray White Victoria chief auctioneer Jeremy Tyrrel said with the winter school holidays in full swing, there were 166 auctions scheduled this week, only 1.79 per cent fewer than the same period last year.

“The hold on interest rates didn't appear to deter buyers, as competition continued to dominate at auctions around the state with a 79.1 percent clearance rate,” Mr Tyrrell said.

“Buyer activity remains stronger than the same period last year, with bidder attendance at 3.4 on average (up 14.36 pre cent) and bidder activity at 2.6 on average (up 10.92 per cent).”

Mr Tyrrell said mid-week sales dominated the market this week with the team at Ray White Ballarat running a successful in-room auction event on Tuesday evening, where nine properties out of the 10 were sold.

An emotional (estate) sale at 805 Sebastopol St, Redan sold well above expectations at $355,000.

“Agent Cameron Webb noted that the executor (Jenny) was overcome with emotion during the auction and burst into tears when the property eventually sold under hot competition,” he said.

Mr Tyrell said regional Victoria appeared to be enjoying a resurgence with the market enjoying positive growth near two per cent, the first positive signs of growth in the past two years.

11 Ronald Crescent, Boronia

• Sold under the hammer for $1.31 million

• 8 registered bidders, 7 active bidders

• Lead agent/auctioneer: Blayze Fatchen - 0408 387 164

• Ray White Ferntree Gully

Sellers Kristy Duke and her husband Damian were “absolutely stoked” with today’s auction outcome of their property at 11 Ronald Crescent, Boronia.

Their five-bedroom three-bathroom property sold for $1.31 million and is “more than what we dreamed of”, said Mrs Duke.

With three young children, Imogen, Ethan, Elijah, the family is excited for the next chapter, having purchased a property in Selby.

“We are so excited,” Mrs Duke said.

“Absolutely blow away.”

Mrs Duke said the auction process with Ray White Ferntree Gully agent Blayze Fatchen “just worked”.

“He took us through the process as we were purchasing before selling our house. We had a clear picture about what we wanted and knew there was going to be some competition for our property,” she said.

“Blayze talked us through everything and we felt at ease.

“Now, it’s time to move to half an acre and let the kids enjoy more space, and be closer to the schools they are attending.”

1 Oregan Way, Roxburgh Park

• Sold under the hammer for $667,000

• 7 registered bidders

• Lead agent/auctioneer - Trish Orrico - 0423 336 636

• Ray White Craigieburn

3/8 Stewart Street, Pascoe Vale

• Sold under the hammer for $706,000

• 8 registered bidders, 3 active bidders

• Lead agent: Sebastian Rello - 0417 223 869

• Ray White Glenroy

First home buyers Hayden Rayner and Monique Nagle can finally call this Pascoe Vale two-bedroom one bathroom property home.

The young couple have been looking to buy a home for the last six months.

“We were attracted to this property because of its homely feel, we are actually renting something similar,” Mr Rayner said.

“We like the area and being close to the station.”

Mr Rayner said buying a home had been a “long time coming”.

“We are so relieved in terms of money and what we have been able to purchase. Now we can start looking at other things, like a wedding.”

25 Cleek Avenue, Oakleigh

• Sold under the hammer for $1.138 million

• 11 registered, 6 active bidders

• Lead agent Jie Zhou - 0422 828 984

• Ray White Oakleigh

• Jonathon Eaves, Ray White

8 Daphne Street, Sunshine West

• Sold under the hammer for $910,000

• 4 registered, 5 active

• Lead agent/auctioneer: Marcus Fregonese - 0432 732 495

• Ray White Sunshine

Ray White Sunshine lead agent Marcus Fregonese said a buyer’s agent secured the winning bid for 8 Daphne Street, Sunshine West.

Mr Fregonese said the three-bedroom one-bathroom property had attracted a lot of interest from potential buyers including an investor from Sydney.

“We got a record sale for this style of home today,” he said.

The property is on a 703sqm block and in a high demand area.

40B Silver Street, Cheltenham

• Sold under the hammer for $1.606 million

• 4 registered and active bidders

• Lead agent: Trevor Bowen - 0417 501 327

• Ray White The Bayside Group

• Auctioneer - Aiden Oke, Ray White

24 Fenton Crescent, Frankston South

• Sold under the hammer for $1,435,000

• 9 registered bidders

• Lead agent: Ashley Weston - 0439 101 677

• Ray White Frankston

38 Ballarto Road, Frankston North

• Sold under the hammer for $640,000

• 2 registered bidders, 1 active bidder

• Lead agent: Andrew Condon - 0407 766 774

• Ray White Frankston

Ray White Queensland Chief Auctioneer Gavin Croft said wonderful energy continued right across auctions in Brisbane today.

“Anything from $500,000 for townhouses right through $2 million properties, it has been a strong morning so far,” he said.

He described a property at 18 Islington Street, Runcorn as being “beautifully positioned” which buyers were drawn to.

“Whether it’s affordable or $2 million plus even - we are seeing good underlying strength in the market,” Mr Croft said.

“It hasn’t changed, we are still seeing low stock supply at the moment and buyer demand remains strong.

“While that continues for the foreseeable future, home sellers will continue to be rewarded - there’s no question around that.”

58 The Crescent, Underwood

• Sold under the hammer for $1.825 million

• 6 registered bidders, 6 active bidders

• Lead agent: Zishaan Omar - 0142 237 860

• Ray White Rochedale

Seller Imran Hussain has lived at 58 The Crescent, Underwood for three years and thanked the Ray White Rochedale team for helping him sell his five-bedroom four-bathroom property at auction.

“We have bought a property in Brookwater and today’s sale was good news for us,” Mr Hussain said.

“The team styled the house so nicely and I am so impressed.

“They did such a good job with everything. I trusted Zishaan with the auction process and I am happy with the price.”

Mr Hussain, who has two sons, said he was moving to Brookwater for more space.

Ray White Rochedale principal Zishaan Omar said a crowd of 50 people gathered at today’s auction including several neighbours.

“This is a new pocket of Underwood and there is not much land available in the area,” he said.

He thanked his fellow team members Harsh Bhasin and Shayley Cherry who had also worked hard on the campaign.

18 Islington Street, Runcorn

• Sold under the hammer for $1.982 million

• Registered bidders, active bidders

• Lead agent Benny Liu - 0431 420 796

• Ray White Rochedale

• Auctioneer: Gavin Croft, Ray White

The sellers of 18 Islington Street, Runcorn said they chose to go to auction after receiving multiple offers on their property which was initially listed to be sold via private treaty.

“We felt comfortable bidding at the auction, and we are really happy with the outcome,” the seller said.

The new buyer, Tenviya Singh, had been looking for a property like this one for the past few years.

“The size of the property and its great location drew us to the property,” the buyer said.

The buyer, who has had prior experience bidding at auctions, described the auction experience as “really good” and transparent.

He plans to move into the home with his family in the next few months.

Ray White South Australia chief auctioneer John Morris said after what has seemed like an endless winter, the sun has come out for a wonderful day of auctions around South Australia.

There are about 110 auctions going ahead throughout the week with around 60 of them happening this Saturday, Mr Morris said.

“Yet again, Ray White are the leaders when it comes to the auction market share with approximately 40 per cent of them, yet again, being Ray White auctions,” he said.

“Our next nearest competitor sits at around 7.5 per cent to 8 per cent, yet again proving that we are the competition creators, the market leaders when it comes to auctions in this state.

“Our clearance rates have stayed solid around about 70 per cent.”

Mr Morris said there were still a lot of buyers out there.

“Mostly local buyers, with two thirds of them being owner occupiers so it is mostly local people buying to live in the homes they buy and that is what is making people pay that little bit more on auction day,” he said.

19 Cooke Street, Modbury

• Sold under the hammer for $939,000

• 23 registered bidders, 8 active bidders

• Lead agent: Baldeep Dang - 0433 576 144

• Ray White Hillcrest

• Auctioneer: John Morris, Ray White