Classic’s record high on the Hill
A LATE 1950s time capsule house has set a record price for an unrenovated property in Herne Hill.
The three-bedroom house at 13 Panorama Rd was even staged with its original furniture to maintain the integrity of the late 1950s house.
The property sold for $610,000 at auction, with the Geelong buyers planning to renovate the house.
Fruit Property, Geelong agent David Phillips said the classic brick veneer house, which had the one owner, attracted strong interest from across Melbourne and Geelong during the campaign.
“We had five very strong bidders and 120 people in the crowd at the auction,” Mr Phillips said. “It went like wildfire.” Mr Phillips said architectural bricks were ordered specifically for the house, which also featured decorative cornices, a tiled mantel surrounding a gas heater in the loungeroom and a side-by-side stove in the kitchen.
“I think we kept the integrity of the house by keeping the furniture in there. We were very particular about what stayed,” he said.
“My clients’ mum and dad used to love the old-style furniture so we maintained the integrity by keeping key pieces.”
Mr Phillips said the house lends itself to a transformation, which the new owners plan to do.
“You could do some amazing things there,” he said.
“The kitchen is nice and big. It’s very plain Jane but you could fit something big in there.
“You could take out a couple of walls and open the whole house up and the gardens are just immaculate.”
The $610,000 sale was the fourth-highest this year, according to CoreLogic data, though each of the more expensive properties were either new builds or had been renovated.
The highest price paid for a house in Herne Hill is $937,000 for a contemporary four-bedroom house at 324 Autumn St.
Mr Phillips said he had to adjust price expectations early in the campaign following a couple of big sales in Muxworthy St and Wirksworth St and strong interest from buyers.
Herne Hill’s median house price has climbed 10 per cent this year to $429,000, according to CoreLogic. Sixteen properties have sold for more than $500,000 in the past six months.
Price hopes before the auction were $460,000 to $505,000, according to the statement of information.