Latest news with #JohnMatthews
The Age
16 hours ago
- Business
- The Age
‘Melbourne's coming back': Young family pays $200,000 above reserve to nab $1.45m period home
A young family paid $1,454,000 for a pretty period home in Essendon during a hard-fought auction on Saturday that rose about $200,000 above the reserve. Three owner-occupiers competed for the four-bedroom house at 8 Spencer Street in front of a crowd of more than 30. The property was one of 873 scheduled to go to auction in Melbourne this week. By evening, Domain Group recorded a preliminary auction clearance rate of 72.4 per cent from 646 reported results throughout the week, while 47 auctions were withdrawn. Withdrawn auctions are counted as unsold properties when calculating the clearance rate. In the first auction weekend since the third cash rate cut this year, some agents reported increasing confidence from buyers. The freestanding, single-fronted Victorian home came with a bonus studio and was listed with a price guide of $1.15 million to $1.25 million. The reserve was at the top of the range. When the crowd hesitated, MATTHEWS listing agent John Matthews began with a vendor bid of $1.2 million. The ultimate buyer offered $1.21 million, then a woman countered at $1.22 million, and the price spiralled higher in rapid-fire $10,000 bids. A third party jumped in at $1,395,000 but could not outspend the family, who won with a bid of $1,454,000.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
'Unbelievable': 'Emergency landing' briefly closes Tallahassee airport, flight diverted
An "emergency landing" of a charter flight of armed services members Monday evening at Tallahassee International Airport briefly closed the airport's runway and led to the diversion of one flight back to a Texas airport. Passengers on a flight headed to Florida's capital were stuck scrambling for a hotel or spending the night on the floor or in stiff chairs at the Dallas Forth Worth International Airport after being unable to land in Tallahassee. Just minutes before landing, which was supposed to be around 10 p.m. on Aug. 11, the Tallahassee-bound plane was informed both runways were closed for landing and it had to turn around, said John Matthews, a passenger. The pilot came on over the intercom and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Tallahassee airport is closed." The plane was forced to make the three-and-a-half hour trip back to the Texas airport, getting in around midnight, Matthews said: "It's been unbelievable." With no official notice from airport officials on social media or otherwise, reports of fire trucks and paramedics on the runways were bouncing around social media. One person posted that the incident was because a chartered flight full of military personnel returning from a month-long stint in California had a mishap during landing. Tallahassee's Deputy Director of Aviation Vanessa Spaulding confirmed that account in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. Spaulding said the charter flight's final destination was intended to be Tallahassee, but around 9 p.m., the pilots – who were transporting National Guard members – called in requesting "an emergency landing" due to the plane experiencing hydraulic issues. She said the airport immediately coordinated and communicated very closely with its airline partners. From there the airline is supposed to communicate with its passengers. "This is what we do, we handle things like this and diversions on the daily," she said. "We're trained for this; our team executed the training exceptionally ... I think our team did an exceptional job. It was an overwhelmingly positive response from our team." Passengers, however, said they were in the dark. When they landed in Texas, Matthews said that the airline blamed the Tallahassee International Airport for the mix-up and wouldn't provide them with vouchers for food or lodging, so they had to pay out of pocket. "The hotel here in the airport is $400 a night, so I said to heck with that and took an Uber to a Motel 6," Matthews said. Matthews said he thinks the Tallahassee International Airport has "some explaining to do" because "nobody seemed to know what was going on." Passengers later learned that one runway was shut down due to construction and the second was closed because the disabled plane was stuck on the tarmac. As of 10:40 a.m. Tuesday, nearly 80 people were still waiting in Texas to return to Tallahassee after a long sleepless night. Matthews said they were given little information about what happened and after they landed the pilots and flight attendants walked off without a word. The runway was cleared in roughly an hour and a half, Spalding said, and no one was injured. "While it was unfortunate and inconvenient for the passengers, the good news is that the plane landed 181 passengers and crew safely, and we're very, very proud of our team's response." The passenger on social media wrote that the charter plane made a "harder-than-usual landing" and that they "almost ran out of runway and ran into the perpendicular runway for other planes." He said the plane sat on the runway for over two hours and no explanation was given until an hour in when the pilots informed them that the tires were to hot to move and had to cool down. "Long night, but everyone is OK," he wrote. Before details of the "emergency landing" became clear, the lack of notice drew fire from Red Tape Florida, a website run by former Tallahassee Democrat publisher Skip Foster, who now heads Hammerhead Communications, a public relations firm. The blog site, which does not reveal its clients, has been a consistent critic of the airport in its mission of "shining a light on the good, bad and ugly" of bureaucracy in Florida. "You might think an airport with 58 full-time employees and a $19 million budget would be able to tell the public what was going on," the Red Tape Florida article says. "You would be wrong." Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@ Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee airport: 'Emergency landing' closes runway, diverts flight Solve the daily Crossword
News.com.au
26-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Melbourne property market shows winter strength
Melbourne's auction market is defying seasonal expectations, with clearance rates holding strong and buyers out in force despite the cooler weather. PropTrack recorded a 71.6 per cent clearance rate from 402 reported results this weekend, as buyers fought over a tightening pool of listings ahead of the spring rush. Several homes sold for seven-figure sums, led by a modern family home at 9 Macedon Ave, Balwyn North, which changed hands for $2.975m. Other top results included 33 Barina Rd, Glen Iris ($2.91m) and 22 Wilpena Place, Vermont South ($2.41m). In Mount Waverley, 38 Windsor Ave fetched $2.33m — well above its $2.05m reserve — after attracting six active bidders. Heavyside Boroondara auctioneer Steven Zervas said the single-level, turnkey home stood out from a crowded local market. 'There were 16 auctions in Mount Waverley on Saturday, but this was the only one of its kind,' Mr Zervas said. 'It was modern, high quality, and move-in ready, perfect for downsizers and families looking to get into a top school zone.' Matthews Real Estate director John Matthews said confidence was returning among renovators and boutique builders as costs stabilised. 'We're seeing more interest in period homes and dual occupancy projects,' Mr Matthews said. 'And some buyers are flipping again, that part of the market's waking up.' Mr Matthews urged buyers to build relationships with agents and stay alert. 'Some sellers are still hesitant to launch full campaigns, so off-market deals are happening — and we've seen some buyers do very well through them,' he said. Ray White Victoria chief auctioneer Jeremy Tyrrell said that hesitancy was driving up buyer urgency. 'Many sellers are still waiting for interest rate cuts, but buyers are already making moves,' he said. 'That shortfall in listings is creating real competition — and real results.' With listings expected to pick up in August, Melbourne's auction market could be shaping into an unusually busy winter season.
News.com.au
26-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Airport West block sells for $1.175m
A modest brick home in Airport West has sold for a staggering $1.175m — a full $275,000 above reserve — with six bidders vying for a rare land parcel on the cusp of Niddrie. Offered for the first time in 65 years, 16 Peters St, Matthews agency director John Matthews said the home was always going to be a 'land-value play', but the scale of the result shocked even seasoned agents. 'This was a classic generational sale, liveable, but really it was all about the land,' Mr Matthews said. Where Melb homes sell in 22 days Where Melb homes cost less than five years ago 'The buyer plans to knock it down and build two townhouses.' The 630sq m site with a wide 17-metre frontage had $875,000-$950,000 price hopes and drew a fierce mix of developers, home builders and renovators. Mr Matthews said there was serious depth returning to the market amid expectations for another rate cut at the next Reserve Bank meeting. 'There's serious depth returning to the market,' he said. 'We had six strong bidders. 'Some underbidders came with million-dollar budgets and still missed out.' The Matthews agency director said the result has confirmed Airport West's growing appeal among developers chasing land in tightly held pockets. 'It shows confidence is back, and with rate cuts on the horizon, I think this is just the start,' Mr Matthews said. 'The sellers were 'ecstatic, it's a huge reward for their decades-long hold,' he said.
CBS News
03-07-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Philadelphia native cycling across the country to raise money for lung cancer patients
Twenty-year-old Jack Owens made a pit stop Wednesday at Valley Forge National Park in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia cyclist is riding coast to coast to help lung cancer patients. "It's been a long journey," Owens said. He started the 48-day trip May 20 in San Francisco and will end in Ocean City. He's aiming to raise $100,000 for lung cancer patients. "It's something that affects everybody," he said. "It's the leading cancer killer among every demographic in every state." Owens' grandmother died from lung cancer, which inspired her son, John Matthews, to start a charity called Ride Hard Breathe Easy. Matthews is Owens' uncle. "When Mom was sick, I just said I would do something," Matthews said. "I had no idea I was going to ride my bike across the country." Matthews, who's doing part of the ride with Owens, completed his cross-country trek in 2017. "It's amazing," Matthews said. "It's really inspiring." The money that Owens raises on this ride will help lung cancer patients with getting to doctor's appointments and paying for food and utility bills. "They just need someone to give them a hand and we're fortunate to do it," Matthews said. Owens, who went to St. Joe's Prep, is now a junior at Notre Dame, and he's dedicating part of his summer break to the family mission of helping patients. On their way to the shore where the 3,600 mile journey will end on July 6, they'll stop at some hospitals that treat the patients they help, like Fox Chase Cancer Center.
