Three Melbourne sports stars secured weekend property sales as winter auction success rates finished on a high. 

Test cricketer Peter Siddle and fiance Anna Weatherlake’s four-bedroom home at Ormond sold for $2.05 million after auction.

Their renovated California bungalow, which was passed in at $2.02 million, sold to a New Zealand family moving to Melbourne.

The couple celebrated their success on social media, advising they now have a bayside suburb building project.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJm083sg_Qq/?taken-by=petersiddle403&hl=en

Olympic sailing gold medallist Mark Turnbull and wife Jo secured a $2.2 million post-auction sale of their Gardenvale family home to a couple from Richmond.

Mark Turnbull’s home has a solar-heated pool and open-plan living and dining room. Photo: Hocking Stuart

Inside the four-bedroom home. Photo: Hocking Stuart

Meanwhile, axed North Melbourne midfielder Nick Dal Santo and his wife Julie secured $704,000 for an Elwood investment property. 

There were four bidders for the two-bedroom apartment at 28/125 Ormond Rd which had a $700,000 reserve. It cost $510,000 in 2008.

The former Saints player sold his apartment in this building at 125 Ormond Road Elwood. Photo: Hodges

The two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment is just one block from the beachfront. Photo: Hodges

Some 2113 auctions were held across Australia’s capital cities on the last weekend of winter, a rise on the previous 1795 weekend offerings, but still lower than the 2,654 auctions held at the same time last year. 

The national auction clearance rate was 76 per cent this week, higher than last week’s result of 75 per cent.

Representing another year-to-date high for the combined capitals, CoreLogic noted late last winter the auction clearance rate was recorded at 73 per cent.

“Over winter 2016, clearance rates have ranged from a low of 65 per cent to a high of 76 per cent, compared to last winter where the weekly clearance rate remained above 70 per cent each week for the entire winter season, peaking at 78.5 per cent at the start of June,” Kevin Brogan at CoreLogic said.

The top sale across the nation was in Cremorne Point, with a home overlooking Sydney Harbour fetching $6.4 million, some $500,000 over reserve.

It was an 1895 home on 600 sqm at 23 Cremorne Road that was sold through belle Property.

The Cremorne Point house was built around 1895. Photo: belle Property

The views over Sydney Harbour are nothing to be sneezed at. Photo: belle Property

Melbourne had a $6.205 million sale in Deepdene where price guidance had been $4 million to $4.5 million for an 1890s home, Kesteven.

The slate roofed, single storey home was called on the market at $4.9 million, according to the James Buyer Advocates, with bidding then from six interested buyers taking it $1.3 million higher. The five-bedroom home on 1300 sqm had sold at $1.83 million in 2004.

‘Kesteven’ is situated in one of the Golden Mile’s premier avenues. Photo: Kay & Burton

The house has five bedrooms and three bathrooms. Photo: Kay & Burton

In Malvern, bidding stopped at $5.75 million with an undisclosed sale subsequently of 52 Elizabeth Street which was expected to sell for about $6 million.

Melbourne’s preliminary clearance rate was 79 per cent, compared to 75 per cent last week and 76 per cent at the same time last year.

There were 1046 Melbourne homes taken to auction, up on last weekend’s 789, yet still tracking lower than at the same time last year when 1188 went to auction.

Sydney’s preliminary clearance rate was 81 per cent, representing an easing from last week’s 84 per cent, which was the strongest final auction clearance rate Sydney has reported for the year so far.

In Sydney 762 auctions were held, compared to 687 last week and 1106 one year ago.

The most affordable Sydney property reported sold at the weekend was a two-bedroom home at 8/27-31 Napier Avenue, Lurnea, which fetched $470,000 through Ray White Wetherill Park.

The 90 sqm two-storey townhouse sold at $292,000 in 2012 and $290,000 in boomtime 2004. It was first sold on its 2000 completion at $198,000.

The two-storey townhouse in Lurnea. Photo: Ray White

This week Brisbane was host to 127 auctions, with a preliminary clearance rate of 47 per cent. This week’s volume of auctions represents a rise from last week’s 125 auctions, but lower than the 169 auctions held one year ago. At the same time last year, Brisbane’s clearance rate was 54 per cent.

The nation’s cheapest weekend auction result was on Brisbane’s outskirts at Ipswich when 7 Rex Street, Eastern Heights fetched $230,000.

The three-bedroom house sold pre-auction.

This property was Australia’s cheapest auction result at the weekend. Photo: LJ Hooker

There were 82 auctions held in Adelaide, compared to 97 last week and 102 at the same time last year. The preliminary clearance rate for the city this week was 68 per cent, up from 62 per cent last week and 58 per cent one year ago.

“Adelaide’s preliminary clearance has remained above the 60 per cent mark since the final week of July,” CoreLogic’s Mr Brogan said.

Adelaide prices ranged from $320,000 at Banksia Park to $980,000 at Colonial Light Gardens.

Perth’s preliminary clearance rate was 21 per cent this week, compared to 20 per cent last week and 45 per cent one year ago.

Corelogic has 52 auction results for Canberra, with a preliminary clearance rate of 75 per cent, higher than the 66 per cent clearance rate last week. At the same time last year, Canberra recorded a clearance rate of 69 per cent.

Jonathan Chancellor is editor-at-large at Property Observer.