Brisbane auctions: Single mother snags a Wilston home at auction

A single mother had fate on her side when she snagged a home for her and her five kids in Wilston at a fierce auction on Saturday. 

The mother, who did not wish to be named, said the house at 18 Main Avenue was in a perfect location for her and her children. 

“It’s where my children go to school,” she said. “When my little boy’s older, he’ll be able to walk to school.”

She added her 12-year-old daughter had already “called dibs” on one of the bedrooms.

“I’m stoked, it’s beautiful and it ticks a lot of boxes for me,” she said.

The new owner was one of three registered bidders, but she felt fate was on her side – Saturday was also her birthday. She used “18” as her bidding number, because she saw it as lucky.

“[The address] was 18 Main Avenue, 18 was the day of the auction and 18 is my birthday,” she said. “I think that it was one of those things you just want to give yourself every chance.”

“I’m not the superstitious type but I thought, ‘why not make it big and bold?'”

Another bidder made the opening bid at $1.1 million dollars, but a three-way battle took place with each party quick to raise the price. The winning bid was $1.55 million.

McGrath Wilston agent Craig Lea said each bidder fought hard because they all grew attached to the five-bedroom house’s modern and industrial style.

“All three had an emotional engagement with the property from the very beginning,” Mr Lea said, adding that he was pleased the auction turned out the way it did.

“I could not be happier for her, she’s such a lovely lady,” he said.

The house was renovated seven years ago, but Mr Lea said the vendor never got a chance to live in it as she moved to Canberra for work before the renovation was completed. Mr Lea said it was a rare opportunity to snag a home in almost-perfect condition. “Ordinarily the opportunity just wouldn’t come up,” he said.

Later in the day, Ray White Mount Gravatt principal Grant Boman auctioned a double block in Upper Mount Gravatt.

The 1214-square metre allotment attracted 39 registered bidders, many of which were developers or builders.

The land featured a post-war home, which was not available for inspection as it was not in good condition and was tenanted at the time.

Bidding kicked off with a bid of $900,000, which quickly shot up to $1 million. Of the 39 registered, only four bidders were active and inched the price up after it hit seven figures.

The block eventually sold to a developer for $1.15 million.

Mr Boman said the sale was a record for Hillgrove Street. “Really pleased for the owner,” he said.  

“It’s the first time on the market, it was left to him in a will. He’ll be ecstatic when he finally finds out, he’s in Berlin.”

The owner lives in Germany and was selling the Hillgrove Street address to tie up loose ends in Brisbane. Mr Boman said the house was priced to sell.

“We raced past reserve and we had a competitive reserve, it was always selling,” he said.

The developer wasn’t forthcoming with his plans for the land, but Mr Boman was happy to speculate. “He’s obviously bought it for development at some point,” he said. “But clearly he’s going to split it into three blocks.”