Auction Market Ends March On A High

While the month of March has seen the auction markets, especially on the east coast, disturbed with holiday distractions and extreme weather events, the final weekend of the month saw solid results for most sellers generally.

The national auction market reported a clearance rate of 74.0% at the weekend —similar to the previous weekend’s 75.1% but lower than the 85.2% recorded over the same weekend last year.

National auction numbers were higher again at the weekend with a year-to-date high of 2686 reported listed comparted to the previous weekend’s 2475. This is well below the 3118 reported over the same Saturday last year.

The Sydney market bounced back to end the month higher, posting a clearance rate of 72.7% at the weekend – higher than the 69.6% reported over the previous weekend but lower than the remarkably high 90.4% result reported over the same weekend last year.

Sydney’s higher clearance rate was reported despite a surge in listings with 950 auctions reported compared to the previous weekend’s 866. Both figures sit below the 1227 auction over the same weekend last year.

Sydney recorded a median price of $1,613,000 for houses sold at auction at the weekend which was lower than the $1,757,000 reported over the previous weekend but 2.5% higher than the $1,573,000 recorded over the same weekend last year.

Melbourne reported a year-to-date high of 1353 homes listed for auction at the weekend – higher than the previous weekend’s 1290 but lower than the 1593 auctioned over the same weekend last year.

The Victorian capital recorded a clearance rate of 73.4% this weekend, up on the previous weekend’s 69.9% but well below the 83.7% recorded over the same weekend last year.

Melbourne recorded a median price of $1,100,000 for houses sold at auction at the weekend which was similar to last weekend’s $1,115,000 but 8.4% higher than the $1,015,000 recorded over the same weekend last year.

Data powered by Dr Andrew Wilson, My Housing Market.

Former Aussie Rules player Jeff Chapman’s dream beach house, which has had its praises sung by The Independent in the UK, is back on the market with a revised – and more competitive – price guide.

The contemporary pavilion-style residence Alinghi, created by celebrated architect James Grose, was voted one of the top five beach houses in the world by the British newspaper and has been operating as a luxury holiday rental earning up to $7000 a week.

The one-time Melbourne forward and founder of Bennelong Funds Management, and his wife Carena Shankar, listed the five-bedroom getaway back in mid 2024 with hopes of about $8 million. The prestige property is now back with new agent Pauline Karatau of Ray White New Farm and the amended guide now sits at $6.5 million.

As part of the private 5ha Rocky Point estate, at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef overlooking Honeymoon Bay, the glamorous holiday home shares not only a private beach with just four other neighbours, but also a 30m saltwater pool, a full-size tennis court, a beach cabana with barbecue facilities and a full-time live-in caretaker on site.

Alinghi seemingly floats against the cliffs of North Queensland’s Capricorn Coast consisting of two pavilions and shallow reflections pools for ultimate serenity. Residence number 5 is home to a two-storey main pavilion with large living spaces spilling onto semi-enclosed areas framing enviable ocean views. Upstairs there are four bedrooms, including two with ensuites. The second pavilion is a private retreat housing the main bedroom suite with an additional study or wellness space.

Crafted by Grose to leave minimal impact on its natural environment, the house features external materials sourced locally including rich cedar, plus glass and Travertine stone specifically chosen to blend and weather with the landscape over time.

The low maintenance property is also relatively self sufficient thanks to water tanks collecting the region’s abundant rainfall. Despite it’s northern Queensland address air-conditioning is an after-thought due to the clever cross-ventilation design principles and deliberate orientation capturing ocean breezes that flow through the large footprint.

Alinghi’s external lightning has also been carefully designed to be low voltage with minimum impact upon the local wildlife including wallabies, echidnas, goannas, turtles and even a diverse range of native birds. From the private terraces throughout winter, homeowners can also track the migratory whales.

Alinghi is a 90-minute drive away from Agnes Waters and its sister town of 1770 (also known as Seventeen Seventy). It is approximately 120kms from Bundaberg, which is home to a well-serviced domestic airport.

Alinghi is listed for sale with a price guide of $6.5 million via Ray White New Farm agent Pauline Karatau on 0418 733 773.

Auction Market Ends March On A High

Sydney’s market bounced back at the end of the month.