Auction watch: More hot sales under the hammer in Canberra

An inner north house with artistic flair was among a number of hot sales across Canberra on Saturday.

As the mercury neared 30 degrees, competitive bidding on the three-bedroom property at 13 Hobbs Street in O’Connor surpassed the million-dollar-mark.

It was among seven properties across the ACT to sell for more than $1 million on Saturday.

Two houses on Hawkesbury Crescent in Farrer sold for $1.31 million through Peter Blackshaw Real Estate, while a property at 88 Hopetoun Circuit in Yarralumla was snapped up for $2.1 million through Luton Properties.

The big sales weren’t enough to lift Saturday’s clearance rate above 61 per cent, according to Domain Group data.

A crowd of 50 braved the heat to watch the auction of the 1950s house in O’Connor from a quick opening bid of $900,000.

A fast-paced tussle between two registered parties quickly pushed bidding above the suburb’s median house price of $925,000 to $1,060,000, when it became clear the property was on the market.

As one party dipped out another new bidder entered the fray. After a second tussle the original party snapped up the property for $1,098,000.

The house, which sits on a 681-square-metre block, was previously owned by a Canberra artist and features a distinct butterfly roof and large studio.

McGrath Estate Agents Dickson selling agent Maree Van Arkel said the vendor, who had owned the home for 25 years, was delighted with the sale price.

She said the result wasn’t a surprise because of the property’s charm and its location on one of the suburb’s “prettiest streets”.

“In this location, you can’t go wrong,” she said.

“It’s the Turner side of O’Connor in a nice, quiet street. It’s a gorgeous house with so much potential but it’s equally a house you can move into and enjoy.”

Ms Van Arkel said the house was snapped up by a young family who had been living overseas.

“They had been looking to buy a property for quite a while but kept missing out at a number of auctions,” she said.

“There’s certainly a shortage of houses for sale and a lot of people out there looking to buy.”

While some houses across Canberra had passed in recently, she said many others had soared above owners’ expectations.