Auction watch: Character homes hotly contested in Ainslie and Deakin

The buyers of a classic Ainslie cottage did not know they had successfully secured the home until hours after the auction.

They were on an international flight set to land about 10 hours after the hammer fell.

A friend attended the auction of 62 Sherbrooke Street on their behalf and placed the winning bid of $945,000.

LJ Hooker Dickson principal Stephen Bunday said it was a good result for the suburb.

“The vendors were over the moon,” Mr Bunday said. “It was above their reserve so they were extremely happy.”

Five parties registered to bid for the three-bedroom home and there were three active bidders.

A strong opening bid of $820,000 was quickly followed by $840,000. It moved quickly toward the $900,000 mark in $10,000 increments and the third bidder dropped out of the race.

At $940,000 the property was declared officially on the market.

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After a final bid of $941,000 from the competition, the winning bidder secured the home for $945,000.

The house was a Riley Newsom weatherboard cottage. Named after the architect, these kit homes were imported from Canada during a 1950s Canberra housing shortage.

Despite their overseas origin the homes included many features synonymous with Ainslie – timber sash windows, picture rails and open fireplaces.

“There’s a bit of character about them and Ainslie buyers like homes with character,” Mr Bunday said.

Buyers were also seeking character homes across the lake in Deakin where a mid-century modern house was among the biggest sales of the day.

25 Chermside Street in Deakin sold for $1.39 million. Photo: Supplied

The three-bedroom house at 25 Chermside Street featured a raked roofline, floor-to-ceiling windows and sympathetic updates throughout.

Belle Property Kingston principal Dan McAlpine said the Theo Bischoff-designed home attracted six registered bidders.

“We had an opening bid of $800,000, then $1.1 million, then $1.2 million in the space of about three seconds,” Mr McAlpine said.

Five of the registered parties placed a bid, with the hammer falling at $1.39 million.

“The buyers were a young local family who love the architecture and love they style of the property,” Mr McAlpine said.

“They were ecstatic to secure it.”

The sales contributed to a 55 per cent clearance rate, according to Domain Group data.

See a full list of Canberra auction results here.