The buyers of this Cheltenham home were so nervous they didn’t even attend Saturday’s auction — and it paid off.
For 23 years, this electric green door welcomed the Ryan family home.
It saw Christmases, birthdays and many first days of school.
But after raising two children, owners Fiona and Mark decided it was time to move on.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house at 63 Park Rd in Cheltenham went under the hammer on Saturday in front of a crowd of about 80 people.
And after a shaky start — during which it almost passed in — the homely abode attracted a $1.561m sale.
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It was listed with a $1.33m-$1.45m price guide.
Ray White Cheltenham director Kevin Chokshi said the buyers, a young couple, had shown interest from the start of the campaign.
But they were so nervous they didn’t even attend.
“Ever since they walked into the home we knew they would be the ones,” Mr Chokshi said.
“They said ‘this is the one for us’. But they were so nervous they didn’t come and had someone bidding for them.” Mr Chokshi said his vendors and the new owners were “super happy” with the result. The Ryans, who are downsizing in the area, still recall the first time they stepped foot inside their long-time family home.
The pair and their now-adult children — Richard, 26, and Annabelle, 24 — had been living nearby but were looking for an upgrade for their growing family.
“We bought it at auction all those years ago,” Ms Ryan said. “I walked in and I just loved the house. I loved the look of it — the weatherboard and the big tree out the front, as well as the size.”
She recalled fond memories of the kids starting at the local kindergarten and “riding their bikes to school”, as well as walks along the beach during Melbourne’s Covid-19 lockdowns.
“It’s gone so quickly,” Ms Ryan said of their time at the property.
Mr Chokshi said the area, known to locals as Pennydale, was one of the best spots in the suburb, with world-class Victoria Golf Course, parks, shops, top-quality schools and the foreshore all close by.
He added that there was “still heaps of confidence out there … and the uncertainty in the world right now, I think people are just finding that a home is the safest investment.”
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Originally published as Buyers too nervous to attend Cheltenham auction win big