Gregory and Emmanuelle Hall have secured a $920,000 East Brisbane home at weekend auction, bringing an end to their family living on a catamaran moored at Dockside, Kangaroo Point.

The Hall family has been there since 2010 after it sailed from South Africa with their three children.

“We were actually heading for New Zealand, but we fell in love with Brisbane,” the CFO, who works in Milton, said.

“We have just sold our boat and the time is right for us now to buy a home as our children are bigger.”

The family had been looking since December.

Selling agent Madi Roche of Ray White East Brisbane secured the weekend sale of the six-bedroom, 1910 home on Didsbury Street, East Brisbane.

The Hall family, seen here in 2016, has journalled their seafaring adventures online.

Mr Hall was beaming after his successful bid at the weekend auction. Photo: Ray White

The double-storey home in East Brisbane has six bedrooms – plenty of room for a family accustomed to living on a boat. Photo: Ray White

The kitchen and living area opens to a deck, but not the nautical kind. Photo: Ray White

It’s no ocean, but there is a spacious backyard. Photo: Ray White

The sale was at just under the $985,000 median price for East Brisbane four-bedroom houses.

Brisbane’s median house price sits currently at $538,000, according to CoreLogic. It is up 0.9 per cent over the past year.

Over the past quarter values had dipped 0.9 per cent in the east of Brisbane, but were up especially in Brisbane’s north.

Spring auction volumes rose across the capital cities, with 1907 homes taken to market.

The listings secured a 59 per cent preliminary clearance rate.

Last weekend, there was a 55 per cent success rate from the 1748 auctions.

The same week last year saw a much higher 66.9 per cent success rate from 2258 auctions.

There were 654 auctions held in Sydney, returning a preliminary auction clearance rate of 57.8 per cent.

Last week, there were 664 auctions held and the final auction clearance rate was 53.8 per cent. One year ago, 826 Sydney homes went to auction and the clearance rate came in at 65.8 per cent.

AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said the reduced supply was restricting the decline.

Sydney’s top sale was 173 Underwood Street, Paddington which fetched $6,050,000 post-auction.

Fairfax Media described the auction as an “auction fizzer” as there was not a single bid from the three registered bidders for the terrace set on 388 square metres.

Melbourne’s most expensive home was a four-bedroom home in Toorak sold for $6.01 million.

There were five registered bidders for 18 Selborne Road with bidding kicking off at $5.4 million at its Marshall White auction.

Kieran Jiwa at the James Buyers Advocates described the auction vibe as “strong”.

The new owners will renovate the 25-year-old home, which had come with a $5.4 million to $5.8 million price guidance.

It last sold in 1996 for $487,500.

This Toorak mansion, which claimed top spot in Melbourne’s auction weekend, multiplied in price 12 times over the past 22 years. Photo: Marshall White

The home has a grand living room, complete with a grand piano. Photo: Marshall White

There is ample room to entertain, both indoors … Photo: Marshall White

… and outdoors. Photo: Marshall White

Melbourne was the busiest capital city weekend auction locality.

There was a clearance rate of 62.4 per cent across 894 auctions, up from 57 per cent across 805 auctions last week. 

One year ago, the clearance rate was a stronger 71.8 per cent across a significantly higher volume of auctions (1111). 

Adelaide returned the strongest preliminary clearance rate of 64.8 per cent, just ahead of 64.4 per cent in Canberra.

Only 18.8 per cent of homes sold across Perth. There was a 49 per cent success rate in Brisbane.

Brisbane’s top sale was $4.35 million for a grand house at 100 Oriel Road, Clayfield by a family upgrading from nearby Hendra. 

Ray White New Farm agent Tom Lyne said the 1987-built home had been tightly held for three decades.

The four-bedroom residence sits on a 2034-square-metre block with manicured gardens and Helidon sandstone.

“A home of this calibre is rarely offered to the Brisbane market.”

Jonathan Chancellor is editor at large at Property Observer