Melbourne Autumn residential auction prices fetching well above price guides

Real estate agents in Melbourne failed to gauge the strength of the auction market in the lead up to the Easter crescendo with a Property Observer survey revealing 83% of successful auctions selling at prices above pre-auction price estimates by real estate agents. The super-success rate was higher than three similiar surveys undertake last Spring by Property Observer.

An analysis of 142 auction results between February and late March recorded by National Property Buyers showed 118 sold for above the upper bracket of the price guides provided by agents before auction.

Of those 118 properties, 43 sold for more than 10% above pre-auction price guides.

Those that sold above the price guide were 9.55% above the upper price guide bracket on average.

The clearance rate in the March quarter was 69%, well up from 62% in the December quarter, according to the REIV – a clear sign of gathering momentum in the market which agents failed to factor into their price guides.

Properties that sold for above $600,000 had the greatest discrepancy between price guide and sale prices – of the 85 results analysed, 78 sold for above the upper price bracket, or about 92%.

National Property Buyers agent Catherine Cashmore agreed there had been an increase in the number of properties selling for prices 5-10% above reserve, yet many advertised price quotes had not yet caught up to reflect the additional demand fuelling the rises.

"Although I can understand selling agents being cautious in light of the sudden, and strong, increase in turnover - maybe doubting it's longevity - but this is no excuse for not reflecting the 'current' stronger trend when quoting," she told Property Observer.

"They have the same sales data as I do - yet I can accurately assess the price range a property will sell for 99% of the time. 'Quoting low' remains an unfortunate reality buyers must battle against."

The most extreme disparity between price guide and actual result was a three bedroom brick veneer house in Heidelberg, 59 Cape Street, which sold for 41% above the price guide. Co-agents at Kelly & Shiel Carlton and Kerry Davis quoted a pre-auction price guide of $780,000 to $860,000 but it sold for $1.215 million on February 23.

Five bidders made 83 bids on the property (pictured below) which had an $860,000 reserve, according to a Fairfax Media report.

A four-bedroom house in Northcote, at 5 Ross Street, sold for 35% above the price guide. Agents at Jellis Craig Clifton Hill quoted a price guide of $900,000 to $990,000 before the auction but it sold for $1.34 million on March 16.

There was a bidding war between two parties interested in building on the land, yielding 52 bids, according to a Fairfax report. There was a $1 million reserve.

And a four bedroom townhouse in Surrey Hills, at 2/11A Scheele Street (pictured below), sold for 33% above the price guide. Hocking Stuart Balwyn agents quoted a price guide of $950,000 to $1.05 million but it sold for $1.4 million on March 2.

Seven bidders quickly pushed the property well past its $1.05 million reserve, according to Fairfax.

Just one property analysed sold for less than the pre-auction price guide – a two bedroom townhouse in Kensington, 51 Leicester Mews, which had a guide of $660,000 to $720,00 but sold for $530,000.

Last October in a similiar survey undertaken by Property Observer it was found 75% of auctions sold for above price guides. An analysis of 74 sales over the four weeks of Spring sales found 55 properties sold above price guides.

And in early October Property Observer put the figure at 75%, with 46 of 61 properties selling above the price guide.

And a September analysis undertaken by Property Observer of 220 auction results found 77% sold for above price guides.