Melbourne Auction Results – October 27, 2014

By Peter Sarmas on 27 Oct 2014
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Melbourne Auction Results 20th-26th October 2014

73%
Clearance
Rate

1508
Reported
Auctions

Sold at Auction: 897 Auction Volumes: $962.9m
Passed in: 406 Weekend Last Month: 59
Sold Before: 204 Weekend Last Year: 1464
Sold After: 1 Houses: 75%
Unreported: 195 Units: 70%

 

How Did Melbourne Perform On Its Biggest Auction Day Of The Year?

This weekend a record 1641 properties were auctioned in Melbourne – beating the previous high of 1619 on the same weekend last year.

The market often peaks at this time in October, as vendors and agents take a breather on the following Melbourne Cup weekend.

The highest number of auctions were in Brighton and Richmondfollowed by HawthornReservoir, Brunswick and St Kilda.

If you take a closer look, you can see that some key suburbs are beginning to flag under the weight of their auction numbers.

“Many auctions attracted record buyer numbers and prices…”

From the reported 1500 properties, a number of key inner suburbs were well below the reported 73 per cent clearance rate: South Yarra – 67 per cent, St Kilda – 64 per cent, Richmond – a surprisingly low 58 per cent. 

On the other hand some suburbs recorded results at or above that range: Hawthorn – 77 per cent, Reservoir – 75 per cent, Brunswick – 79 per cent, Brighton – 74 per cent.

Abbotsford, Mitcham, Blackburn and Ferntree Gully were just some of the suburbs with 100 per cent clearance rates.

Mitcham

Properties in Mitcham sold particularly well this weekend
Photo: The Homepage

So How Did The Melbourne Auction Market Fare Over The Weekend?

Better than expected, but as we can see from the cross section of suburbs above, it wasn’t even.

Many auctions attracted record buyer numbers and prices, while key inner city suburbs appear be buckling under the weight of stock coming onto the market.

There is no doubt buyers have more choice in property, which is now creating headaches for would be vendors hoping to cash in on rising Melbourne prices.

Two trends emerged from the clearance figures over the weekend.

“Key inner city suburbs appear be buckling under the weight of stock coming onto the market.”

A significant number of $1 million-plus properties passed in, which we though was unusual. Could it be the sheer number of these properties coming onto the market that’s causing an oversupply, the demand for this type of property drying up, or a combination of both? 

What about jitters in the local and global share markets prompting caution?

At the other end of the scale, many apartments still continue to be passed in around Melbourne. It is becoming increasingly common for agents to report an “undisclosed” auction result instead of a price. Usually this means that the vendor was not happy with the result and didn’t want the price to be published.

Street Advocacy News: Buying & Selling Property With Street News

This week I’d like to start by thanking my fantastic client Derek, who successfully sold his property last week and is now on the search for a dream home in the eastern suburbs.

Congratulations Derek and thank you!

My latest clients asked me to help them find their first investment property.

A lot of people ask me “how do you pick an area to buy a property, Peter?” There are some basic criteria that I search for, including village shops and lifestyle, nearby schools, transport and infrastructure.

Within each of the suburbs I research I look for stability rather than huge spurts of capital growth. Who lives in these areas and what is their financial situation? Is the area I am buying in full of investors and investment properties?

“If an investment property is returning more than what it’s costing to service the loan, then there’s something very wrong.”

What is the rental demand going to be like for the property purchased? What are the employment prospects within the area? Is it easy to access other working centres such as the CBD?

All these factors (and many more) play a major role in selecting a property. But don’t think for one minute that if a suburb ticks all of the above boxes that any type of property in any street will perform well over time.

The location of the street, the property type, the property’s orientation and the property’s surroundings can be the difference between having an investment tenanted for years and achieving capital growth, and a property that can’t be rented out and shows little or no growth over a period of 5-10 years.

It’s Not About The Rental Return, It’s About Capital Growth

Finally, and contrary to many property experts’ beliefs, I don’t focus on the rental return of a property, but rather the capital growth. 

If it’s a rental return you are after, buy a student apartment that returns 10 per cent. It will see zero growth and cost you a fortune in maintenance and letting fees, but at least at under $200,000 your losses won’t be so great.

My experience is that if an investment property is returning more than what it’s costing to service the loan, then there’s something very wrong.  

“Within each of the suburbs I research I look for stability rather than huge spurts of capital growth.”

And if you can’t afford to buy an investment without relying on a high rental return and depreciation benefits, then you’re better off waiting until you can buy the ideal asset.

On Saturday, we turned up at the property ready to bid. We had conducted our due diligence and knew the property was already tenanted to a professional paying $400 a week. We also knew this property would appeal to more than just investors.

Unfortunately, my hunch was right and the property, which was quoted at $470,000 to $520,000, surpassed even our expectations. A first home buyer and another investor fought it out before the investor secured the unit for $605,000.

Now to negotiate on another one.

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Top 5 Houses

1. 45 The Strand, Williamstown $3,876,000
2. 20-24 Masons Road, Blackburn $3,550,000
3. 356 Beaconsfield Parade, St Kilda West $3,200,000
4. 26 Love Street, Black Rock $3,100,000
5. 11 Jessamine Avenue, Prahran $3,100,000

Top 5 Bargain Houses

1. 5 Marion Walk, Hoppers Crossing $255,000
2. 8 Washington Street, Dallas $258,000
3. 6 Shorthorn Walk, Narre Warren South $280,000
4. 158 Derrimut Road, Hoppers Crossing $281,000
5. 13 Billingham Road, Deer Park $300,000

Top 5 Apartments

1. 2/18 Grange Road, Toorak $3,170,000
2. 13B Lambeth Avenue, Armadale $1,600,000
3. 2A Don Court, Caulfield South $1,540,000
4. 1/36 Yeovil Road, Glen Iris $1,500,000
5. 135 Brighton Street, Richmond $1,477,500

Top 5 Bargain Apartments

1. 4/51 Spring Street, Thomastown $226,000
2. 10/84 Latrobe Street, Mentone $234,500
3. 3/14 William Street, Mccrae $250,000
4. 4/657 Barkly Street, West Footscray $260,000
5. 4/28 Hopetoun Street, Moonee Ponds $270,000

Source: REIV

For a basic snapshot of your suburb’s performance or a property report customised for your property, request a Free Market Report.

If you are thinking of buying, selling or investing and would like a FREE 5 minute chat 
with Street News Director Peter Sarmas, please contact him on 0418 740 606 
or via email at [email protected]

About the Author

Peter Sarmas is a Certified Property Investment Advisor (PIAA) and Vendor/Buyer Advocate. Before becoming the founder of Street News, Peter completed a Degree in Applied Science (Chemistry) and a Graduate Diploma in Property Valuations (Hons). Peter believes property investing is a major and potentially risky undertaking. In his view, everyone should have an independent person acting on their behalf when seeking property investment advice.

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