A secluded property featuring a preserved 1970s architect-designed house that "ticked all the boxes" has sold at auction in Warners Bay. The home, owned and designed by Don Morris, the former sub dean of the faculty of architecture at the University of Newcastle, was offered to the market for the first time.
Set on almost one acre on a battle-axe block at 91 Mills Street, the property was listed with John Church of LJ Hooker Lake Macquarie. The auction attracted four registered bidders, including three from Lake Macquarie and a downsizer from Sydney. Bidding opened at $1.42 million and came down to two buyers competing. It sold after 21 bids for $1.63 million to a family moving from Bonnells Bay.
"We had four bidders, but it came down to a young couple who did fairly robust bidding toward the end of the auction," Mr Church said. "The new owners have two young boys and I can see a great future for them making lots of wonderful memories. For them, it was all about the privacy, so once they come into the house, their family life is private and there are no other houses they can see. The adventure playground of the rainforest was also appealing for their kids and they particularly loved the '70s retro feel of the house with the vaulted ceilings and exposed bricks. It ticked all the boxes."
Built in 1979, the four-bedroom, three-bathroom house sits on 3611 square metres. Architectural details include vaulted timber ceilings, highlight windows, exposed brick walls and hardwood timber beams. The retro kitchen and bathrooms are all in original condition. In addition to the house, Mr Morris designed the gardens and planted a variety of Australian natives across the property to create a mini-rainforest in the middle of suburbia.
"It was always a difficult property to price because of the lack of comparables," Mr Church said. "But I think this is a strong result recognising that it is a niche property with so much land and an older-style home that needs the new custodians to take it to the next level." Mr Church said 55 groups inspected the property during the four-week auction campaign.
In other auction results, Spillane Property's Donna Spillane and Patrick Skinner took three homes to auction at the weekend. In Hamilton North, a two-bedroom house on a corner block at 69 Clyde Street went to auction with a guide of $800,000. Two registered bidders competed to secure the 254-square-metre property, opening the bidding at $750,000. It sold after negotiations for $845,000. Cotality records show the property was last sold in February 2022 for $763,000.
A renovated inner-city Victorian terrace at 52 Bishopgate Street in Wickham attracted strong interest, with eight registrations. Six of the eight parties engaged in competitive bidding which opened at $800,000 and played out across 29 bids. The two-bedroom, one-bathroom property sold for $1.125 million. According to Cotality records, the property had previously sold in July 2023 for $867,000.
In North Lambton, Spillane Property auctioned a renovated three-bedroom house with a pool on 711 square metres at 7 Percy Street. Listed with a guide of $900,000, the auction had six registered bidders and opened at $850,000. A hard-fought battle saw 43 bids placed until the property sold under the hammer for $1.065 million. It was the first time it had been offered to market since July 2010 when it was sold for $394,000.
Colliers Residential Newcastle listing agent Anthony Merlo led the auction of a three-bedroom house held by one family for 60 years at 4 Tirriki Street in Charlestown. It had a guide of $985,000. Set on 1152 square metres, the property offered scope for an extension, a granny flat addition or redevelopment. The auction attracted five registered bidders. After an opening bid of $980,000, the property sold to a Sydney-based buyer after 20 bids for $1.12 million.
The auction of a renovated three-bedroom house at 17 Margaret Street in Tighes Hill delivered a profit of $445,000 for the sellers who purchased the property in September 2022 for $930,000. Listed with a guide of $1.275 million to $1.325 million with Kiah Lawford of Walkom Real Estate, the auction drew two registered bidders. The bidding opened at $1.29 million and the property sold for $1.375 million.
There was a solid turnout at the auction of a five-bedroom, two-bathroom house on 851 square metres at 18 Broughton Way in Lakelands. Listed with a guide of $950,000 with Creer Property's Kellie Quinn and Nathan Wilson, the auction had nine registered bidders. The run-down property required extensive renovations. The bidding opened at $900,000 and the property sold under the hammer for $1.155 million. According to Cotality records, the property was last sold in August 1999 for $295,000.
