Latest news with #MichelleWinckle
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
First-time buyer snaps up former presbytery at five-way auction
A quintet of buyers' hunger to take a bite out of turning a 120-year-old former presbytery into a beautiful new home have earned a keen price a local Catholic Church. The circa-1906 residence alongside four newly subdivided vacant blocks were carved out from the still operational St John the Baptist Church in Winchelsea. Five bidders raised a hand for the 1237sq m property at 3 Mercer St, as the home was offered with a $440,000 reserve price. It sold at the marathon auction for $515,000. Hayeswinckle Highton agent Michelle Winckle said the rare Federation style dwelling had never been on the market before. 'It was full of character. It needed significant work done, yes, because it was a church's house, so it needed to be turned into more of a home and it had been quite abandoned over the last few years,' Ms Winckle said. 'But the potential to renovate and restore a beautiful home was the main thing that the buyers fell in love with. 'And with the reserve of $440,000 all the first-home buyers within the area could see that they could pick up a beautiful character home on a 1200sq m block right near the river.' Ms Winckle said the $400,000 to $440,000 guide represented the property's land value, but it was a beautiful house to upgrade. The weatherboard house retains original period features such as 3.7m ceilings, high skirting boards and ornate timber mantels. A series of flexible rooms, including one with a bay window and a basic kitchen and meals area, sit off a wide central hallway. There's also scope to extend, subject to council approval, or add an outdoor entertainment area or garaging, taking advantage of the property's rear access. The property was nearly knocked down to a bidder for $485,000 before another emerged, adding $30,000 to the eventual sale price. Ms Winckle said Winchelsea's surf coast hinterland location had created a lifestyle hot spot. 'People that can't afford the coastal areas, they can come 20 minutes to Winchelsea, which is half an hour to Geelong, Colac, Lorne, Torquay, Anglesea, Airey's Inlet. 'It's half an hour to everything – it's so central – Winchelsea has got so much potential because it's sitting right there. 'It's easy to access Geelong on the ring road and it's quick to access Melbourne and you're getting a much larger block. 'You've still got the river, you've got a town that's growing, so people are seeing more potential for growth there than possibly an area where Torquay has already been massively commercialised.'
News.com.au
30-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Highton house sells $111k above reserve after 10-bidder auction
A three-bedroom 'old Highton house has uncovered strong underlying demand for affordable homes in the suburb despite selling $111,000 above the reserve price. The 589sq m property at 8 Strickland Ave, Highton, was the subject of a 10-way tussle when it went to auction on Saturday. But most interest had fallen away well before the hammer came down on the auction. A Melbourne investor offered a final $751,000 bid to secure the home as the property went to auction with a $640,000 reserve price. Luxury Newtown home emerges from stalled reno Hayeswinkle, Highton agent Rachael Taylor said there were 10 active bidders at the auction, including two on phones. While 10 bidders raised a hand at the auction, especially once auctioneer Michelle Winckle had revealed the property was selling at $640,000, just three remained in the hunt after the price had surpassed $700,000, demonstrating the level where buyers were showing the biggest demand. 'Throughout the whole campaign we had about 135 buyers through the door,' Ms Taylor said. 'The majority of buyers that came through were people relocating to Geelong, but it ended up being an investor that bought the property. 'Potentially he's going to rent it for a year to so and then relocate himself,' Ms Taylor said. The school zoning – Bellaire Primary School and Belmont High School – were the biggest draw for buyers, along with proximity to Highton Village and Porter Ave shops, she said. The sale bettered the $728,000 achieved for a similar sized but renovated house next door that sported an updated kitchen and bathroom. Other similar homes in the neighbourhood had achieved $700,000-plus sales in the past two years, records revealed. PropTrack data shows Highton's $861,000 July median house price has dropped 5.6 per cent, or $51,000 compared to the same time last year, and $80,000 compared to three years ago. The property was listed with a $595,000 to $645,000 price guide. 'The vendor was really trusting with us, he basically let us run the campaign how we felt we needed to get him the best results,' she said. 'We chose to auction because we feel that it's a unique property, because that area is very desired and hard to get in to. 'There's not a lot of turnover, so we chose the auction based on that we felt that we would get a better result with for the vendor going to auction and you've got more buyers – more eyes on the property – over a four week period.' The vendor bought the property in 2006.
News.com.au
16-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Catholic Church lists historic presbytery near Barwon River
A 120-year-old former presbytery ripe for a major heritage revival has hit the market in Winchelsea. The Catholic Church is selling the circa 1906 residence alongside four newly subdivided vacant blocks it's carved off from the still operational St John the Baptist church. Hayeswinckle, Highton agent Michelle Winckle said the three-bedroom house at 3 Mercer St, Winchelsea, was in need of a major renovation after sitting vacant for some time. But she expects its solid Federation-era bones and prime location, just metres from the Barwon River, to attract a visionary buyer when the 1237sq m property is auctioned on August 2. She said it had been priced to sell at $400,000-$440,000, a range which reflected the amount of work required to transform the home. 'We have really priced it as land value – it's not much more than the blocks that we are selling – but you are getting these beautiful bones to work on so it's really a project for someone that wants to turn it into something amazing,' Ms Winckle said. 'It's really up to your own mind what you want to do, with bedrooms and living rooms, it's completely your own floor design. 'It is starting from scratch to turn into your own historic home and it's got so much potential.' The house retains original period features such as 3.7m ceilings, high skirting boards and ornate timber mantels. A series of flexible rooms, including one with a bay window and a basic kitchen/meals area, currently sit off a wide central hallway. There's also scope to extend, subject to council approval, or add an outdoor entertainment area or garaging, taking advantage of the property's rear access. Ms Winckle said as well as being close to the river, the presbytery was just five minutes' walk from Winchelsea's town centre. 'It's going to be an amazing story to watch in two or three years time, who is going to be there and what they have created,' she said. Young families and downsizers are among those eyeing the four neighbouring titled blocks, which range from 675sq m to 1220sq m. They are listed for private sale with price hopes ranging from $300,000 to $409,000 and have all town services connected.
News.com.au
02-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
1960s Highton original gives buyer the chance to unlock value
New owners have found a way to unlock the value in the popularity of a Highton riverside pocket after beating three other bidders to a mid-century home at an auction. There was plenty of interest in the four-bedroom residence at 8 Cara Rd from a mix of buyers, including some looking to turn the house into the 'forever home', Hayeswinckle, Highton agent Michelle Winckle said. But two bidders who saw the potential to capitalise from subdividing the corner block ultimately showed their deeper pockets at Saturday's auction. 'There was four bidders – the last two, that fought it out at the end, turned up on the day,' Ms Winckle said. 'Two of them were looking at for a family home – a forever home,' she said. 'And then the other two were looking at potentially buying it, living in the house, and then subdividing the back.' The latter pair duked it out to the end at Saturday's auction, when the property sold for $862,000. The 842sq m property had been listed with price hopes from $790,000 to $850,000 and sold on a weekend when there was a large amount of buyers in the mix for Geelong properties. 'Homes in good locations – if the vendors are reasonable with their reserve – they will sell,' Ms Winckle explained about the auction. 'It's just about listening to the market and adapting to the market,' she said. 'And, if you're in a good location, I find that all the auction we've done have sold. It's still a very good auction market.' The more than 60-year-old solid brick house hit the market for the first time at Saturday's auction. Ms Winckle said it was a rare property in today's market, as most in the area had already been sold or renovated. The opportunity to renovate, extend or subdivide was the home's main redeeming feature for buyers, she said. The house has two living areas courtesy of a previous extension providing a fourth bedroom and living room behind a carport with direct internal access to the main home. The position of the house leaves a substantial portion at the rear of the block with side access to Bruthen Rd for a second residence, subject to council approvals. There was plenty of original features on show inside, such as the slate mantel surrounding the heater in the loungeroom and the original kitchen cabinets. Cara Rd runs between Mt Pleasant Rd and Barwon Boulevard, opposite Barwon River parkland.
News.com.au
16-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Geelong suburbs where sellers home prices hold or fold revealed
Fresh data has revealed the Geelong suburbs where buyers or sellers have the upper hand when it comes to sticking to their guns on price expectations. The PropTrack figures for vendor discounting – where homes sold by private treaty saw the biggest drop between the original advertised price and what buyers ultimately agree to pay – reveals the suburbs where buyers are able to negotiate the best deals. Coastal areas remained the best buyers' markets over the past 12 months, with prices sliding a median 8.3 per cent in Anglesea and Point Lonsdale between listing and sale, and close to 8 per cent in Portarlington and Barwon Heads. Barwon Heads has experienced an overall 20.7 per cent drop in median house price in 12 months to May (to $1.42m), PropTrack data shows, with the vendor discounting data showing sellers continue to grapple with where value sits in the Bellarine Peninsula hot spot. Pricing homes proved more stable across urban Geelong, with discounting most prevalent across the expensive inner suburbs, especially central Geelong, but also Manifold Heights, Newtown and Geelong West. Prices ebbed the most for central Geelong apartments, with a 5.7 per cent median discount between listing and sale. Sellers had it best in areas such as Armstrong Creek, Belmont, Corio, Grovedale, Lara and Newcomb, where the PropTrack data recorded a median vendor discount of zero. Hayeswinckle, Highton director Michelle Winckle said discounting price guides was more prevalent in more expensive inner suburbs where there were fewer buyers competing for homes. The data shows prices were most stable in Geelong's northern and southern suburbs. 'It's at a lower level where there's more people competing,' she said. Geelong's property market has endured a turbulent 24 months, with prices overall trending down until recently. Ms Winckle said price expectations were often changed to make homes more competitive in the marketplace. 'You often don't know until you've started a campaign and it's just not grabbing the market, so it needs to be adjusted,' Ms Winckle said. 'Quite often, it can still sell at what they originally wanted. It's just about changing up the strategy.' Buyers advocate Michael Ramsay said more properties were selling in coastal markets since interest rates were cut, though there were still examples of homes being listed at prices well above what the market considered fair. That was a sign that prices guides were getting closer to buyers expectations compared to the start of the year, Mr Ramsay said. SuburbData analyst Jeremy Sheppard said there's a correlation between higher discounts and softer demand. Buying in an area where vendors were accepting offers well below list prices often came with a downside, Mr Sheppard said. 'Bargain hunting is great if you're simply seeking a roof over your head and you plan to stay in the property for 20 years, but from an investment point of view it's not always good,' he said. '(In a high discount area) you'd have to be confident that you wouldn't need to sell for some time as it will be more difficult for sellers … if you're holding for the long term, this won't be an issue as the market will eventually balance out. All areas will eventually grow if given enough time.' GEELONG MEDIAN VENDOR DISCOUNT FIGURES Suburb Property type Median sale price Median vendor discount Point Lonsdale H $1,207,500 -8.3 Anglesea H $1,350,000 -8.3 Portarlington H $863,500 -7.9 Barwon Heads H $1,420,000 -7.8 Jan Juc H $1,270,000 -5.9 St Leonards H $720,000 -5.8 Geelong U $615,000 -5.7 Ocean Grove U $741,000 -5.4 Winchelsea H $650,000 -5.1 Geelong H $880,000 -4.4 Torquay H $1,175,000 -3.6 Newtown U $575,000 -3.4 Manifold Heights H $1,260,000 -3.1 Newtown H $1,150,000 -2.7 Ocean Grove H $955,000 -2.6 Geelong West H $850,000 -1.8 Drysdale H $710,000 -1.3 Lara U $447,500 -1.3 Belmont U $538,000 -1.1 Norlane H $451,000 -1 Grovedale U $496,250 -1 Highton H $861,000 -0.9 Clifton Springs H $652,600 -0.9 Leopold H $650,000 -0.7 Bannockburn H $785,000 -0.7 Hamlyn Heights H $720,000 -0.6 Herne Hill U $368,000 -0.6 Wandana Heights H $925,000 -0.5 Marshall H $630,000 -0.1 Armstrong Creek H $650,000 0 Lara H $680,000 0 Corio H $490,000 0 Belmont H $700,000 0 Mount Duneed H $700,000 0 Grovedale H $663,000 0 Charlemont H $615,500 0 Highton U $500,000 0 Bell Post Hill H $660,000 0 Bell Park H $611,000 0 Curlewis H $638,250 0 Newcomb H $550,000 0 Waurn Ponds H $765,500 0 St Albans Park H $585,000 0 Whittington H $529,000 0 Herne Hill H $700,000 0 North Geelong H $610,000 0 Geelong West U $387,500 0 East Geelong H $765,000 0 Hamlyn Heights U $530,750 0 Thomson H $512,500 0 Lovely Banks H $840,000 0 Source: PropTrack. Median vendor discount for homes sold in 12 months to May 2025. Excludes suburbs with less than 30 sales.
