September kicks off spring selling season

SPRING selling season is upon us and bringing with it some premium auction stock.

Buyer demand remains strong as Australians continue to view property as a safe haven during uncertain times. Throughout August, the Ray White Group conducted 848 auctions with 4.7 average registered bidders per auction, marking an increase on this time last year.

While on the last weekend of August alone, the leading auction agency booked a 66.3 per cent clearance rate and an increase of 1.8 bidders from last year taking the total to 5.4 average bidders.

As Ray White heads into the first weekend of September the group has 126 properties scheduled to go under the hammer. And with continued support from banks and the federal government to avoid “the September cliff”, the month is shaping up to be a strong start to the spring selling season.

The first weekend of spring will start off with a bang in Australia’s biggest auction market.

Early Saturday morning, buyers will be flocking to the auction of 21 Prince Alfred Pde (pictured above) in the hopes of securing themselves a slice of Newport paradise.

Tom Fernon and Noel Nicholson of Ray White Prestige (Palm Beach) have overseen the campaign which Mr Fernon described as strong from start to finish.

“The campaign has been great, interested buyers have mostly been empty nesters coming from the eastern suburbs and Upper North Shore looking for a lifestyle change,” Mr Fernon said.

“The interesting thing about the house is that it sits between two yacht clubs - the Royal Motor Yacht Club and Prince Alfred - so the house has been popular with boating enthusiasts.

“As for the house, buyers can’t go past the view, the house has a north western aspect from the deck where you can watch the amazing sunsets over the Pittwater.”

The four bedroom home has a price guide of $2.2 to $2.4 million.

The auction at 3 Rowallan Ave, Castle Hill (pictured above) is shaping up to be the one to watch with Ray White Castle Hill sales agent Sara Perry saying she expects it to be one of the best auctions ever to happen in the Hills District.

“We have had a huge amount of interest in Rowallan Avenue and many buyers have said they want the property at whatever the cost so we are expecting some fierce competition,” Ms Perry said.

Fellow selling agent Karl Anthony said that many of the interested buyers are coming from out of the area while there are a few locals looking to downsize.

“Some buyers have already sold their larger homes and are seeing real value in something smaller that you can just walk into and not have to do a thing,” Mr Anthony said.

“While out of area buyers are loving the culture and history of Castle Hill and the cottage charm of Rowallan Avenue that’s also close to a lot of infrastructure but not as expensive as where they are coming from.”

“It’s the calibre of property as well. When you are a child, you dream of growing up and having a family and a white picket fence and that’s what you’re getting with this home,” Ms Perry added.

Also in the afternoon, Ray White Elizabeth Bay’s Renee Cross is confident she’ll be welcoming a new owner to 91 York Rd, Queens Park. While at Killara, Ray White Upper North Shore Agent Domenic Maxwell said he is equally as confident about the auction of 10/5-7 Spencer Rd.

Capping off the day strongly will also be 8 Burleigh Avenue, Caringbah being sold through Ray White Caringbah Principal Wendy Samrani.

This weekend, Ray White Blackburn Director Peter Schenck will be auctioning 3 Allison Rd, Mont Albert North from his living room to an audience of online bidders.

Mr Schenck said this will be the office’s first listing marketed entirely in Stage Four lockdown.

“We’ve still been able to take people through a virtual tour done by the vendor and we’re confident the auction will go well,” Mr Schenck said.

“There has been some really solid interest between the $1.1 to $1.2 million mark and we are expecting it to sell on the higher end of that range.

“Interest is mainly coming from second home buyers and families with plans to renovate or redevelop the land as well as first home buyers so we are getting three levels of buyer interest.”

In Brisbane, a stunning classic Queenslander is going to auction this weekend through Ray White Paddington (QLD) agent Judi O’Dea.

The three bedroom home at 168 Boundary Rd, Bardon (pictured above) has attracted almost 100 inspection groups throughout the auction campaign. Ms O’Dea said she has had a mix of interested buyers all loving the family-friendly area and well renovated home.

“I have had a lot of interest from interstate buyers who managed to get to Queensland before lockdown as well as many who are currently renting and want to buy their dream home,” Ms O’Dea said.

“They are looking for that perfect property and at the moment perfect is something with a lot of land in a good area and this one ticks all those boxes.

“The sellers purchased 10 years ago and spent a lot of money renovating every part of the house and they’ve done a really beautiful job. It’s the type of house that everyone loves.”

Ray White South Australia is heading into a big weekend of auction action with some highly sought after properties going under the hammer.

In the morning, 42 Quandong St, North Brighton (pictured above) is set to sell after Ray White Brighton Selling Principal Scott Robinson oversaw more than 40 inspections of the home.

“North Brighton is a really tightly held spot so as soon as something comes up people jump on it,” Mr Robinson said.

“It’s also within the Brighton High School zone and people will do crazy things to get in there.”

Ray White Woodville Principal Peter Kiritsis is also expecting his own early morning auction success at 17 Holland St, Thebarton. Mr Kiritsis said the location is the big drawcard for the three bedroom cottage.

“Thebarton is the first suburb west of the city and has a diverse mix of residential and commercial real estate and there’s a lot of redevelopment happening in the area with new high density apartments going in,” Mr Kiritsis said.

“Of the 67 groups we’ve had through the house, many are owner occupiers looking to demolish and rebuild the house.

“We’re also getting people looking to operate a business from the big shed at the rear.”

Later in the day, Ray White Norwood Agent Ryan Stapleton will be taking 15 Lindsay Ave, Valley View and 20 Rochester Drive, Salisbury Heights to auction. Both are set to exceed expectations with the four bedroom Valley View home the one to watch. Ray White South Australia Chief Auctioneer John Morris will be calling both.