GRAND TREASURE

Geelong family falls for the charm of an Edwardian residence

A RELIGIOUS tradition of burying a St Joseph statue beneath the sale board has helped bring good luck to the sellers of a Highton home.

The vendors of 7 Desmond St buried the statue upside down in a ziplock bag to pray that he would help with a fast, smooth and profitable sale. And it worked with the property selling after auction for $745,000.

A $680,000 vendor bid kicked off the auction before two parties placed bids with the property passing in for $710,000 to the eventual buyer.

Barry Plant, Highton agent Kieron Hunter said the buyer, pictured below, was from Pennsylvania.

“He has three kids and they had been living in Newtown and was attracted to the birds and the space of this property,” Mr Hunter said.

“When the sale was done the vendors got the spade out and dug the statue out.”

The large five-bedroom house is on 1172sq m of land a short walk to Queens Park and close to several sought after schools.

WENSLEYDALE

TORQUAY buyers have secured the best of both worlds after purchasing a high-end bush retreat to complement their coastal base.

The buyers snapped up 135 Gum Flats Rd, Wensleydale at auction for $925,000, which was $75,000 above the asking price.

Richardson, Newtown agent Ken McDonald said most of the interested parties were looking at the property as a permanent home, but the buyers plan on using it as a weekender.

“Bidding started on a vendor bid of $750,000, we had four bidders, it was a bit slow but we got the result in the end,” Mr McDonald said.

The stunning bush retreat surrounded by the Otways has a four-bedroom house on 3.16ha of land. The house has a large open-plan living area plus a separate family room with rammed earth feature walls and recycled timber posts.

GEELONG WEST

CAPITAL growth in Geelong West remains strong with a california bungalow selling at auction for more than $70,000 above what it sold for a year ago, before that sale fell through.

It provided a silver lining for the vendors to achieve a better result second time around.

The three-bedroom house at 45 Catherine St sold for $530,000 last year to Melbourne investors but was knocked down for $602,500 on Saturday. Bidding started on a $500,000 vendor bid and two parties contested the house.

Ray White, Geelong agent Laurie McGovan said the buyer was local and the underbidder was from Melbourne looking to move down.

“The buyer plans on doing some extensive work to the house,” Mr McGovan said.

NEWTOWN

A GEELONG family has fallen in love with a grand Edwardian home in one of Newtown’s finest streets. The family, pictured above, couldn’t resist the period charm of circa 1894 ‘Warranamurra’ at 32 Laurel Bank Parade, which they secured for $1.92 million. The buyer said the auction was quite competitive but it went better than they thought. “It was more nerveracking beforehand working out how much we wanted to pay,” he said. “We have three young kids so will plan and do something down the track … it is a good block of north-facing land.” Many of the original features in the house, that was sold by Maxwell Collins, Geelong agent Eugene Carroll, have been retained including high decorative ceilings and leadlight windows.

BELMONT

A YOUNG couple can finally move out of home after securing their first home in Belmont.

The first-home buyers were the sole bidders for 163 Roslyn Rd and the property passed in to them at the auction for $630,000.

Negotiations continued after the auction, with Core Logic reporting the price at $720,000.

Hayeswinckle, Highton agent Michelle Winckle said the buyers were attracted to the property because of the location walking distance to everything in Belmont and that it was fully renovated.

“They live with their parents in Belmont so it will be their first home together, which is very exciting for them,” Ms Winckle said.

The main house includes an open-plan living area, two bedrooms and a bathroom.

A partially covered deck, pictured left, connects the main house with a separate structure that has two bedrooms, a bathroom and living room.

GROVEDALE

BUYERS are seeing value for money in Grovedale with five bidding on a five-bedroom, house on a 915sq m block.

Young couples and first-home buyers were out in force but a local investor swept in and bought 7 Kerrie Court, pictured below, for $623,000 at Sunday’s auction. Price hopes were $550,000 to $590,000. Buxton agent Julia Warren said bidding was quite competitive.

“The buyer was attracted to the location as it is still quite good value in Grovedale,” Ms Warren said.