Albion family reveal how rare reno move helped smash price record
An Albion family who spent years plotting the perfect renovation for their home have smashed the suburb's house price record by almost $150,000.
Owners Dean and Emily were nervous as the home went under the hammer, and when it started out slowly with a $1.2m vendor bid needed to get buyers involved.
But with a crowd close to 150 watching, the bids for their 33 Adelaide St home kept coming as three buyers pushed it to $1.402m.
CoreLogic records show 34 Burnewang St set the previous house price benchmark for Albion at $1.255m in 2021.
The record-result for Emily and Dean followed a painstaking renovation in which they spent years getting a feel for where the sun would be at different times of year, mapping out what was needed in an extension and borrowing the idea for a scissor truss roof over the rear from popular TV show Grand Designs.
The pair said a big part of the result was the exhaustive effort they put into renovating it, more than doubling the size of the interior floorplan as well as installing energy efficient features — and even a series of openable skylights.
'We have lived through it every step of the way, when it was hard and cold and hot, we have had the dogs and the kids getting into the mud and the dirt, and it's nice to put a full stop on it and see it through to the finish.' Dean said.
'Every time you do another one, you find out more of what works and what doesn't. This one was a bit more involved than the last time, but we have a much better idea of what works and doesn't — and the next one will be even better.'
But first they're planning a holiday.
'We need that break before we channel all our energy into the next project,' Emily said.
Ray White Sunshine's Marcus Fregonese handled the sale and said the result had been a bit of a shock — with bidding becoming so fierce he only got a chance to call it on the market at $1.35m, well after it reached the point of sale.
'They have done an unbelievable job, it's a renovation you just don't see around here — it's something you might see in Northcote or Brunswick,' Mr Fregonese said.
A local family bought the home, with the result something he said should give any owners thinking of a reno the confidence to do so.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
26 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Katy Perry shakes off social media hate at triumphant opening Aus show
Australia gets Katy Perry because Katy Perry gets Australia. The pop superstar shook off the social media pile-ons of recent months to take a quintessential tall poppy potshot at herself at her opening Lifetimes concert in Sydney on Wednesday. When complaining of jetlagged tiredness, exacerbated by her daughter Daisy Dove waking her at 5am on the morning of her first Australian gig, Perry said she had come prepared for the challenge. 'You can't tell I'm tired because I got fresh Botox for Australia!' she declared to huge cheers from the audience. And the scream-o-meter, the true gauge of a concert's success, remained pushing into the red for the entirety of her two-hour neon pop dream at Qudos Bank Arena. They laughed again with her when she shared an on-stage wardrobe emergency, calling for an assistant to unzip her costume 'because I've been eating too many Tim Tams.' The last time Perry was down under last September, she roared at the MCG for a generally well-received AFL grand final performance worth a reported $5 million pay cheque. Her culture stocks in Australia proved to be buoyant when she announced her Lifetimes tour, with more than 170,000 tickets to 15 concerts in five capital cities selling out instantly. Since then she has been the subject of savage social media pile-ons for missteps, from working with controversial producer Dr Luke on her 143 record, and its lacklustre chart performance, to that Blue Origin celebrity space flight folly. But put Perry on a stage, in front of a sold-out crowd of true believers, the day after an epically suburban stop at a western Sydney shopping mall during rehearsals, and it is abundantly apparent the oversized outrage hasn't downsized the devotion of her fans. Their ranks have been bolstered by a sizeable contingent of tweens and teens who lapped up Perry's high-flying, fluoro-lit spectacle which was humanised by a generosity of spirit. The fans dressed to impress their idol in the costumes of her various eras, and squealed with delight when she launched into the dance breaks and light-sabre battles which were mocked online as cringey and awkward when the tour opened in Mexico in April, but make perfect sense within the context of the Lifetimes show. After all, she's playing a half-human, half-robot character in this video game-inspired concert, battling villainous machines on her mission to restore girl power and all the lovey-dovey stuff to counter the nasty world order. One of the highlights of the show happened during the Choose Your Own Adventure segment - which appears to be more pre-determined than granting the sign requests held up by fans in the front rows - when she brought fans on stage to perform Thinking of You from her 2008 album One of the Boys. The 18-year-old Left Shark superfan Elliott, who brought his two younger sisters and cousin to the show, was declared an MVP for his pop stewardship of his family, as the cute group from western Sydney joined her to play chicken egg-shakers during the song. It was a suitably heart-warming moment in a show that, by its hi-tech nature, is tightly choreographed. The Lifetimes show's intention is pure pop escapism soundtracked by a career-spanning collection of hits which have spun more than 25 billion streams and counting - albeit with a little too many of the misses from the 143 record. The Dark Horse pop queen may not possess the vocal chops and choreography skills of Beyonce, or the edgy dark pop drama of Billie Eilish, but this seasoned entertainer knows how to put on a great pop show. And she's got 14 more of them to perform in Australia before this leg of her world tour wraps at the end of the month.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Australia and the European Union determined to seal trade deal as talks revived
Australia and the European Union have revived talks for a sweeping free trade agreement as the Albanese government aims to respond to a "rapidly changing global environment" on tariffs. Australia's trade minister Don Farrell met with the European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič met on the sidelines of a summit hosted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris on Wednesday, local time. "Both Australia and the EU recognise that now is the time to strengthen our economic partnership, and we're working through the remaining issues to try and finalise the deal," Mr Farrell said. A pact with the region was "about building economic resilience in a rapidly changing global environment," he added. It came as US President Donald Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports on Wednesday, leaving America's trading partners reeling from the fresh uncertainty. Mr Sefcovic told journalists "we believe we can achieve substantial progress this year" on an EU-Australia free trade deal, after negotiations have been on ice since 2023. Australian officials could not put a solid timeline on when a pact would be signed, but agriculture is believed to be one of the sticking points. Australia has previously offered to put the removal of its luxury car tax on the table but wants greater access to European markets for lamb and beef exports. However, some big meat-producing EU member countries like France have reservations about opening the bloc's markets to potential major competitors like Australia. Such concerns are also holding up talks with South American countries. The advantages of an EU deal include increased investment, stronger supply chain links, education ties and export opportunities, Mr Farrell said. Earlier on Wednesday, the United States set a deadline for countries to send their best offer in trade negotiations. In February, Mr Trump raised steel and aluminium tariffs to a flat 25 per cent "without exceptions or exemptions", in one of his first moves to aid the struggling domestic industries. The tariffs would apply to millions of tonnes of steel and aluminium imports from Australia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and other countries that had previously been able to enter the US duty-free. On Saturday, Mr Farrell, said that Australia's messaging throughout the upheaval has been consistent and clear. "These tariffs are unjustified and not the act of a friend," he said. Asked what leverage Australia might have to pressure Mr Trump into changing course, Mr Farrell reiterated the government's position that it would not be in Australia's best interests to retaliate. "We're going to coolly and calmly argue our case for the removal of these tariffs," he said. "They don't do what President Trump claims they will do, and we believe that free and fair trade requires [their] removal." ABC/Reuters
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Aldi sued for stocking ‘confusingly similar packaging' to famous snacks
The supermarket of choice for those on tight budgets is being slugged by a potentially devastating legal case. We've all walked past a couple of dubiously named brands that look very much like the original in Aldi's snack isle. But now those cheaper options are being put under the microscope as multinational corporations put the foot down. Snack maker Mondelez, the company behind Oreos and Ritz crackers, has launched legal action against Aldi's US arm, accusing the discount retailer of stocking 'blatant copies' of its iconic biscuit brands. The case claims Aldi's private-label products bear 'confusingly similar packaging' that could mislead shoppers and damage Mondelez's reputation. The company has requested a court order to block Aldi from selling the products in question, alongside a claim for monetary damages. Side-by-side comparisons submitted in the lawsuit show visual similarities between Aldi's chocolate sandwich cookies and Oreos, both featuring blue packaging with near-identical cookie arrangements. Similar comparisons were made between Aldi's Golden Round crackers and Ritz, both wrapped in red boxes with blue and yellow accents. Mondelez alleges it repeatedly warned Aldi about the likenesses. While the retailer reportedly adjusted or withdrew some packaging, others remain on shelves. Aldi, which operates more than 2500 stores in 39 US states and 600 in Australia, has not commented publicly on the case. Known for keeping prices low by selling mostly in-house brands, the German-founded chain has faced similar legal challenges over its private-label packaging in several countries in the past. In Australia, Aldi was found to have infringed copyright in a 2023 case involving children's snack brand Baby Bellies. The court found some of Aldi's Mamia puff products too closely resembled the benchmark design provided by the brand's licensor, Hampden Holdings. Evidence included internal correspondence acknowledging the resemblance. However, Aldi prevailed in other claims involving rice cakes and has appealed the ruling. Elsewhere, Aldi won a 2018 appeal in Australia against Moroccanoil Israel over similar packaging claims related to haircare products, while in the UK, a court sided with cider brand Thatchers in a dispute over bottle design.
