Young family secures $1.5m nature-filled sanctuary home

A couple of “chonky” koalas snoozing in a gum tree upstaged an auctioneer at an Upper Mount Gravatt on Saturday, with all eyes – including the four bidders – instead glued to the furry housemates.

As bidding kicked off at $1.1 million for the five-bedroom home at 43 Granby Street, the tree-hugging pair remained fast asleep on the bough of a tree just 10 metres from the home.

Another mum added to the rare ‘Nat Geo’ show when she leapt up a neighbouring tree with her bub on her back.

Despite the welcome distractions, a young family managed to nab the keys for $1.5 million, sparking the vendor to burst into tears at the realisation she’d be farewelling her nature-filled sanctuary and precious housemates.

“It was emotional for them … during the auction the wife was crying and when I called it on the market I had to rush to the bathroom to get her tissues,” lead selling agent Ricky Tan of Torres Property said.

“You talk about every house being unique – but this one really was special. And I do think those koalas really solidified the deal for buyers.”

“For the buyer, her family are all in Hong Kong and this house has dual living, so it means they don’t just have a place to stay when they visit, but they don’t have to go to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary either.

“It was also the first time she was seeing the (home’s resident) koalas in real life. But for the neighbours watching, they were used to it.

“They were like ‘oh yeah that’s Carly the koala.’”

Perched on a 969-square-metre block that backs onto Mount Gravatt Reserve, the mid-century home features hardwood floors, a sprawling patio and its own private walking trail into the bush. It was purchased by the vendors in 2022 for $1.17 million.

While four bidders registered, three actively competed for the keys in front of a small crowd.

“It was the first time I’ve called an auction and haven’t had all eyes on me,” auctioneer Amir Shamsi said.

“I think with this property the home itself the fact it’s a big lot that backs onto the reserve with those beautiful trees and koalas made it popular.”

Shamsi said while the market remained subdued, more genuine buyers had emerged over the past few weeks.

“When the market is shifting like this we see more buyers trying to get into better suburbs that they maybe couldn’t afford to get into before,” he said.

The Upper Mount Gravatt home was one of 177 scheduled auctions across South East Queensland over the past week. By Saturday evening, Domain recorded a preliminary clearance rate of 29 per cent from 127 reported results, with 13 homes withdrawn. Withdrawn auctions are counted as unsold when calculating clearance rates.

In Algester, a five-bedroom brick home sold for $1.49 million in just five minutes to a multi-generational family before a crowd of about 50.

Built nine years ago on a 453-square-metre block close to Algester State School, the sprawling two-level home – at 40 Woodland Street – boasts 421 square metres under roof while featuring five bathrooms and an EV charging station.

Bidding opened at $1.1 million and rose in rapid $100,000 and then $50,000 increments, selling under the hammer minutes later.

“The buyers bought three generations with them … there were the grandparents, parents and kids,” selling agent Jason Song of Ray White Rochedale said.

“They just loved the configuration. And they were pretty happy to get this one as they saw it as a good time to upgrade.”

Song said while homes such as Woodland Street still commanded strong interest, the market remained rattled – particularly ahead of a near-guaranteed interest rate rise.

In Ascot, an “eclectic” 1920s home with decorative, soaring ceilings and exposed beams sold for $2.8 million at 38 Alexandra Road during an in-room auction with one active bidder.

The four-bedroom home sits on a 721-square-metre block and blends century-old character features with a modern architectural extension. It last changed hands in 2015 for $1.8 million.

Selling agent Damon Warat, of Ray White Ascot, said the home received prior offers and attracted a handful of genuine buyer groups.

“On the day we had two registered but one just didn’t compete,” he said.

“So we just negotiated with the one, but we were still able to create some great competition.

“It’s a lovely home … and it’s ready to move into with quite an eclectic style.”

Warat said a local family won the keys.

He added that a lack of stock had helped fuel demand in Ascot amid wider slowdowns.

“Ascot is a market that people strive to get into and it’s also got a heap of redevelopment going on along Racecourse Road – perhaps more than anywhere else in Brisbane,” he said.

AMP chief economist Dr Shane Oliver said Brisbane’s clearance rate – while slightly elevated from recent weeks – still indicated a depressed market.

“Relief, I think, is a fair way off … and I think the latest rate hike talks have probably intensified things for the market.

“The RBA has all but confirmed we’ll see another rise … and now the debate has moved on to whether we see another one.

“And this is going to keep the property market pretty weak.”

Oliver expects a subdued spring selling market across Brisbane.

“The demand story remains depressed off the back of rate hike talk and it’s also keeping investors on the sidelines. And of course, none of this is being helped by fuel prices.

“That’s adding to the pain but at the same time we’re coming into the spring selling season so we will see a pickup in listings while demand remains pretty terrible.”

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