‘One of those houses that people talk about’: Griffith home sells for $2.2m

A four-bedroom home in leafy Griffith sold for $2.2 million under the hammer on Saturday after three bidders weighed in at the auction.

The auction of 95 La Perouse Street brought in five registered bidders and more than 50 onlookers who were keen to see whether the property would fetch a sale.

“It’s one of those houses that people talk about on La Perouse Street,” said listing agent Sophie Luton of Luton Properties Manuka.

“Everyone knows which one it is.”

An opening bid of $1.9 million kicked off the auction and was quickly countered by a $50,000 increase.

The opening bidder upped the ante with a $2,025,000 offer, which encouraged the second party to increase their offer by $25,000.

Bidding continued in $50,000 and $25,000 increments between three bidders until the price reached $2.18 million.

From here, auctioneer Richard Luton of Luton Properties Manuka encouraged bidders to increase the price again, which was all the opening bidder needed to hear before they made a $2.2 million offer.

With no counter-offers forthcoming, the hammer fell to a young family.

According to government records, the house was last sold in 2015 for $1.87 million.

“Having three active bidders out of five for a house of this calibre is a great result,” Ms Luton said.

She described the campaign as “excellent”, noting 60 groups came through over the course of three weeks.

“There are some features in the house that are just priceless. With 400 square metres of living, a family living room drenched in sun, a flexible floor plan and a fantastic outdoor entertainment area … it’s sensational,” Ms Luton said.

Elsewhere, a four-bedroom property in Kaleen sold at auction for $860,000 after four bidders made a play for the home.

According to listing agent Samantha Granter of Belle Property Kingston, the auction of 16 Murchison Street had “half of Kaleen there”.

Bidding for the house kicked off at $800,000 and increased in varying increments between $2000 and $7000 before the hammer fell at $860,000.

According to government records, the house last traded in 2008 for $500,000.

Ms Granter said the campaign “was probably one of the strongest campaigns I’ve had in a long time”.

“It had over 160 groups over the space of three weeks. The first open-home alone, I had over 150 people through, so about 60 to 70 groups in one day,” Ms Granter said.

“Because there isn’t a lot of stock on the market at the moment, we’re seeing a lot of competition from buyers.

“We’re also seeing more pre-auction offers come through within the first and second week of an auction campaign so buyers are making a decision very quickly.

Ms Granter said potential sellers looking to go to market now should consider doing so while the “market is still hot should consider doing so while the “market is still hot”.