Two Canberra suburb records broken prior to auction after only four days on market

Four days. That was how long two properties in Moncrieff and McKellar were on the market before they were snapped up prior to auction and set suburb benchmarks.

A four-bedroom home at 11 Malton View, Moncrieff, surpassed the previous record by $40,000, selling for $1.08 million prior to auction.

The residence sits on 582 square metres of land and features a spacious entertaining deck with an enviable in-ground solar-heated pool. But that’s not why the buyers snapped it up.

According to listing agent Cory McPherson of Capital Residential, the new buyers were drawn to the property’s open-floor plan and the segregated living areas.

“The new buyers have teenage kids so the floor plan suited their family dynamic,” he said.

“The bedrooms are well-proportioned and the house is only across the street from a reserve so it had a lot to offer.”

The residence was scheduled to go under the hammer on August 29, however the vendors were very happy with a strong pre-auction offer, Mr McPherson said.

Mr McPherson added the property always had a “strong chance” of breaking the previous suburb record, which was set by the house at 14 Slim Dusty Circuit in January this year, selling for $1.04 million.

“In the first open home, we had 44 groups through which generated a lot of competition and eventually achieved a record-breaking sale … it was never going to be on the market for very long,” Mr McPherson said.

“We listed the home on a Thursday, and by Monday we exchanged contracts with the new buyers.”

Elsewhere, a six-bedroom property at 54 Kitty McEwan Circuit, McKellar, also sold prior to auction for $1.28 million after only four days on the market.

Listing agents Tim and Annabelle McInnes of Luton Properties Belconnen said the residence was set to go to auction on August 29 but a pre-auction offer “was too good to turn down”.

“I think some buyers want answers quicker rather than wait until the end of the four-week campaign … so they’re putting their best foot forward, especially because the market is very hot at the moment, there’s a lot more motivation to act now than later,” Mr McInnes said.

Mr McInnes said the property was in a rare location, opposite McKellar Wetlands.

“The new buyers have water views from the lounge room and all the upstairs bedrooms,” Mr McInnes said.

“There are not many houses with water views in Belconnen so it was definitely a big drawcard for the buyers.”

According to government records, McKellar’s previous suburb record was set by 18 Heney Close in 2015, which sold for $1.21 million.

McKellar’s most recent record-breaking sale trumped the previous benchmark by $70,000.

The new buyers were a family who were looking to move back to the area, Mr McInnes said.

“The new buyers used to walk by this street all the time and dreamed of living here one day, so it’s a dream come true for them,” Mr McInnes said.