Canberra auctions: Downsizers drive action this weekend

It was a busy weekend for Canberra with downsizers out in force as a wave of properties priced around $1 million were snapped up.

In Gordon on Saturday, Momentum Property’s Michael Martin sold the impressive four-bedroom house at 15 Rollins Place for $1.04 million.

Martin said there were six registered bidders, with an opening offer of $900,000, before a series of $10,000 bids took the price to just above the reserve.

The buyer is associated with People First Nursing, a specialised aged care and disability provider that assists in purchasing quality low-maintenance homes for patients with dementia.

It was the second property People First Nursing founders Nicole Smith and Sonal Sapkota had helped purchase, with the first located in Isabella Plains.

Smith said they were now looking into the Forrest area for their third property.

Situated on a 484-square-metre block in a coveted enclave near Gordon Pond, schools and shops, the quality house features an open-plan kitchen, family and dining room, separate living, two bathrooms and a double garage.

Around the corner at 3 Batt Place, Martin sold the modern four-bedroom house prior to auction to a downsizer for $1.045 million.

Positioned in a tightly held cul-de-sac, the residence offers formal and casual living and dining spaces, a fully equipped kitchen, an en suite to the main bedroom, an outdoor entertainment area and a double garage.

Gordon has remained a popular suburb with Domain data showing its median house price increased by 5.3 per cent over the year to $810,000.

In Franklin, Marq Property’s Sam Taylor sold the stylish three-bedroom house at 6 Charlotte Barton Street for $980,000.

Taylor said they had six registered bidders on Saturday, including two investors and three first-home buyers, with the property selling to a downsizer.

Located just a short walk from Franklin shops, the house features separate living and family rooms opening onto a covered al fresco area, a main bedroom with an ensuite, a kitchen and dining area, plus a single garage.

Mid-week auctions produced mixed results again. Ray White sold the three-bedroom house at 16 Onkaparinga Crescent, Kaleen, for $950,000, while The Agency sold the four-bedroom house at 78 Hadleigh Circuit, Isabella Plains, for an undisclosed price. It had been advertised at $895,000 plus.

Last weekend saw clearance rates drop to 50 per cent, down from 63 per cent a year ago. Of the 125 properties scheduled to go under the hammer, 113 were reported, of which 56 sold, seven were withdrawn, and 36 were passed in.