Autumn auctions finish with a bang

Number 48 Captain Cook Crescent, Griffith, boasts a living room designed for grand-scale entertaining.

However, it was filled to capacity yesterday as more than 100 people gathered to watch the home sell under the hammer for $2.28 million.

The resort-style property was one of six homes to break the million-dollar mark on the last weekend of autumn.

Peter Blackshaw Manuka agent Mario Sanfrancesco said the home attracted a huge amount of interest. More than 200 groups passed through its striking timber and bluestone entry during the marketing campaign.

While a number of these parties were prospective buyers, others were simply keen to have a look around the architecturally designed masterpiece.

“Many people looked who perhaps weren’t in the market to buy, but they were tempted to consider it because of the quality of the home,” Mr Sanfrancesco said.

“I’ve been fortunate to be involved in a number of quality property sales recently, but to have that level of inquiry and inspection was quite extraordinary.”

Mr Sanfrancesco said interest in the home came from as far away as overseas, but the eventual buyer was a Canberra local.

Six parties registered to bid for the home.

Strong results were also recorded across the lake with two inner north homes selling for more than $1 million through Luton Properties.

Mr Luton said the weekend’s results indicated that Canberra was in for a strong winter season with stock levels struggling to keep up with demand.

“We’ve had good activity and great clearance rates and I think we’ll begin to see a shortage of supply over the next couple of months,” Mr Luton said.

Five bidders registered to bid for a charming heritage-listed home at 61 Coranderrk Street in Reid. Luton Properties agent Holly Komorowski said more than 70 parties visited the home during the marketing campaign.

It sold under the hammer for $1.58 million.

Another slice of history changed hands across the border, with one of Queanbeyan’s oldest homes selling for $412,500 through Ian McNamee & Partners agents Steve Taskovski and Mark Higgs.

Three parties registered to bid for the pre-World War I cottage at 5 Surveyor Street, and although it passed in at auction, it sold later that afternoon.

Canberra’s Saturday clearance rate was 68.8 per cent, according to Australian Property Monitors.