While property markets across the country have suffered an understandable significant downturn over the past few months, the ACT market continues to defy odds and go from strength to strength, with real estate listings being snapped up quicker than they can come to market right across Canberra. Testament to this was the auction of 7 Spensley Place Wanniassa this week. Going under the hammer two weeks earlier than originally planned, Blackshaw Real Estate welcomed 23 registered bidders and over 50 spectators to the twilight auction on Wednesday evening.
Selling agent, Ryan Thomas of Blackshaw Woden, commented that it was the “busiest campaign he had ever experienced in his entire real estate career”. After welcoming 78 groups through the first open home, Ryan knew the campaign was set to go down in the Blackshaw history books.
After what ended up being only two weeks on the market, this modest four-bedroom home, set on 1,200sqm of land, attracted 12,300 views on Canberra property portal allhomes, and saw 229 inspections and 116 requests for contracts.
According to Mr Thomas, there were a number of pre-auction offers made, but in the interest of both the vendors and the market, it was decided that no offers would be accepted behind closed doors and instead, the auction would be brought forward.
On the evening, an acoustic guitarist was invited to play, setting the mood for both nervous bidders and all those excited to see the much-anticipated outcome. With Covid restrictions still in place across the ACT, limiting gatherings to 100 people, the Blackshaw team had a challenging night ahead of managing the large groups hoping to get a glimpse of the action. “The strong turnout at the auction, while a sign of a positive and strong market, was not easy to manage, Mr Thomas said.
“Whilst a challenge to keep social distancing measures in place, the team were well prepared for the large turnout and we had a number of staff on hand to monitor the crowd and keep account of everyone who walked through the door” he added.
With the auction kicking off at 5:30pm with several active bidders, the price quickly rose from the opening bid of $750,000 to $880,000. A few minutes later and a number of calls from Blackshaw auctioneer, Robert Peaker, the hammer fell at $898,000 to a young family looking for some more space to call home.
Mr Thomas said the campaign far exceeded even his wildest expectations, “We knew we were going to market in very strong conditions, but the interest in this campaign and the speed at which we achieved a sale was just remarkable. We had a lot of families interested in the property and having 23 registered bidders just goes to show exactly how many people are in the market currently, all ready to buy and with their finances in order” he said.
Whilst a disappointing evening for 22 of the registered bidders, it is a great opportunity for anyone thinking of taking their home to market. Mr Thomas added that “whenever there is a house on the market that is snapped up quickly, and people are willing to pay a premium to get their hands on the keys, means it is a strong market and a really great time to sell”.
Reflecting on the sale the following day, Mr Thomas said that “the sale campaign was both busy and dynamic, and that the decision to bring forward the auction date proved to be very successful”.
If you are considering selling your home, speak with your local Blackshaw sales professional about taking your home to auction and the outstanding results you could achieve.