{"id":864448,"date":"2026-08-22T14:30:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T14:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/864448\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T14:30:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T14:30:21","slug":"the-most-inexpensive-little-castle-in-south-yarra-sells-for-1785000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/864448\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The most inexpensive little castle\u2019 in South Yarra sells for $1,785,000"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Wes Mountain\" data-testid=\"author-avatar-image\" height=\"64\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/62260e856e5deacf47c16645e58a88f9513fb355be454aa2a0088a6dfde3d44d.png\"  width=\"64\" class=\"sc-9a01536c-0 libeSR\"\/><\/p>\n<p data-testid=\"article-datetime\" class=\"sc-5cbbddda-5 hxoHkT\">August 22, 2026 \u2014 1:44pm<\/p>\n<p>Save<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/goodfood\/saved\" class=\"sc-3f16ee48-12 sc-d1b14060-2 jyLmZI iQLtAb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n<p>AAA<\/p>\n<p>A three-bedroom semi that the agent called \u201cthe most inexpensive little castle\u201d in South Yarra sold for $1,785,000 in post-auction negotiations on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>The double-storey English-style home, complete with turret, at <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.domain.com.au\/17-coolullah-avenue-south-yarra-vic-3141-2021029071?utm_source=the-age\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">17 Coolullah Avenue<\/a> was one of a block of three sitting in a quiet cul-de-sac off Williams Road. It features a citrus-filled front courtyard, parquetry flooring, arched doorways throughout and shared rear right-of-way access.<\/p>\n<p>The property had a price guide of $1.7 million to $1.8 million, and a reserve of $1.8 million.<\/p>\n<p>Marshall White Stonnington agent Dean Gilbert said the property had attracted a lot of attention, with more than 100 groups inspecting over the course of the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>He said the home had \u201cbarely been turned over in its existence\u201d and was affordable for the area thanks to a small land size and strata arrangement.<\/p>\n<p>Auctioneer Justin Long opened the auction with a vendor bid of $1.7 million, stressing there was very little stock coming onto <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/property\/news\/why-it-s-the-weakest-auction-market-since-2020-and-what-spring-may-bring-20260713-p60eva.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the market in spring<\/a> and encouraging buyers to avoid missing out \u201conly to buy something smaller in a few weeks\u2019 time\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Auctioneer Justin Long calls for bids at 17 Coolullah Avenue, telling potential buyers that spring was unlikely to bring more stock like the double-storey \u201clittle castle\u201d home onto the market.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3276136d20c32cbc4b000ba815030d8cb03cfcc1.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"\/>Auctioneer Justin Long calls for bids at 17 Coolullah Avenue, telling potential buyers that spring was unlikely to bring more stock like the double-storey \u201clittle castle\u201d home onto the market.Eddie Jim<\/p>\n<p>After a long pause, the first genuine bidder offered $1.71 million, followed by a $10,000 increment from the only other potential buyer, countered by the initial bidder to bring the price to $1.73 million, where it stalled and eventually passed in.<\/p>\n<p>After almost an hour of negotiations, the winning bidders bought the home for $1,785,000, which was $15,000 less than the reserve and $55,000 more than it passed in on.<\/p>\n<p>Marshall White sales director John Bongiorno said that while the vendors, a multi-generational family, had hoped for a little bit more, \u201cthey were happy to meet the market\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The buyers intend to renovate the home, which currently features arched doorways and individual functional rooms, rather than the open-plan living generally preferred in modern luxury homes.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/84185941391c951f77abbbd92258a6a0361d169b.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"\/>The buyers intend to renovate the home, which currently features arched doorways and individual functional rooms, rather than the open-plan living generally preferred in modern luxury homes.Eddie Jim<\/p>\n<p>The buyers, a young professional couple, were bidding with support of a father calling in from a Vanuatu holiday. They plan to renovate.<\/p>\n<p>Related Article<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/property\/news\/how-much-it-costs-to-live-in-melbourne-s-most-desired-school-zones-20260818-p60pgz.html\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Shane McCullagh and partner Safia Desai bought in Princes Hill so their children Loch (left) and Taaj (right) could in the coveted Princes Hill Secondary zone.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/c6aad6277f18fde6e284cb017435586559b51e79.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ioInpc\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The property was one of 570 scheduled to go to auction in Melbourne this week. By evening, Domain Group recorded a preliminary auction clearance rate of 58 per cent from 365 reported results throughout the week, while 67 auctions were withdrawn. Withdrawn auctions are counted as unsold properties when calculating the clearance rate.<\/p>\n<p>In Richmond, a two-bedroom Edwardian, directly across from Bicentennial Park, sold for $1,385,000 at auction \u2013 $65,000 above its reserve.<\/p>\n<p>The home at <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.domain.com.au\/20-parkville-street-richmond-vic-3121-2021028478?utm_source=the-age\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">20 Parkville Street<\/a> sits in a row of red-brick terraces looking onto the park. It maintains original exterior features such as tessellated tile paths and stained-glass windows, and has an updated interior featuring high ceilings, open-plan living and new appliances.<\/p>\n<p>It had a price guide of $1.2 million to $1.32 million, and a reserve of $1.32 million.<\/p>\n<p>Jellis Craig Richmond agent and auctioneer Luke Schickerling said strong bidding opened at $1.2 million, the bottom of the guide, and went up quickly in $10,000 increments before hitting $1.32 million and being declared on the market.<\/p>\n<p>From there, three potential buyers continued to trade bids until the home sold to a young couple who, Schickerling said, were new to the Richmond area. The vendors were renovators, who he said were now \u201conto the next adventure\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He said the property had performed well, and there were more people bidding than a few weeks ago, as the market was starting to warm up for spring \u2013 traditionally the peak period for auctions in Melbourne \u2013 and fewer properties were coming up for sale than expected.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The preserved Edwardian features at the front of the property conceal a modern, spacious interior.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/f644928dc57ab5e361a206eea451963914841cb6.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"\/>The preserved Edwardian features at the front of the property conceal a modern, spacious interior.Jellis Craig Richmond<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have the lowest stock levels I can recall in recent memory,\u201d Schickerling said.<\/p>\n<p>Related Article<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/property\/news\/the-type-of-melbourne-home-that-s-passing-in-at-auction-20260812-p60nkv.html\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"sc-cba76dee-0 hdiTqm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Fewer homes are clearing at auction than at the start of the year.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/0a278f69431523261056b84db6e85a33988e4e33.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ioInpc\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In Brunswick, a warehouse conversion apartment \u2013 in the same building known to be the home of Nina Proudman in the TV series <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/business\/brunswick-beauty-stands-out-amid-none-too-pretty-weekend-20120603-1zq1n.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Offspring<\/a> \u2013 sold for $1,126,000 at auction, $126,000 above its $1 million reserve.<\/p>\n<p>The light-filled two-bedroom apartment at <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.domain.com.au\/210-1-3-dods-street-brunswick-vic-3056-2021031245?utm_source=the-age\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">210\/1-3 Dods Street<\/a>, complete with quirky egg-yolk yellow central bathroom, expansive open-plan living, dining and storage areas, and a north-facing view to Brunswick\u2019s churches and rooftops, had a price guide of $950,000 to $1 million.<\/p>\n<p>Nelson Alexander Brunswick agent Janine Ballantyne said auctioneer James Pilliner opened bidding at $970,000, before four bidders pushed it past the $1 million mark in $10,000 increments.<\/p>\n<p>From there, the bidders winnowed down to three to take the price up to $1.1 million, and then down to two as the increments grew smaller and the auction came to a close. The buyer was a professional moving into the area.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The egg-yolk yellow central bathroom, askew in its own box within the apartment\u2019s expansive interior, was just one characterful element of the warehouse conversion.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a91e3fade26aa04109606b863b58b35dfad462a6.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 ldCIuB\"\/>The egg-yolk yellow central bathroom, askew in its own box within the apartment\u2019s expansive interior, was just one characterful element of the warehouse conversion.Nelson Alexander Brunswick<\/p>\n<p>The vendor had decided to upsize within Brunswick after 21 years.<\/p>\n<p>Ballantyne said the result was indicative of the market.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[It\u2019s] price-sensitive, but if people can see value, they will engage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel as though we are going to have the usual levels of spring stock, whether that <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/property\/news\/a-long-winter-for-house-prices-melbourne-market-s-steepest-drop-in-four-years-20260720-p60gxj.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">puts pressure on prices<\/a> or not remains to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Save<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-d1b14060-4 JmUoF\">You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n<p>Remove items from your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/goodfood\/saved\" class=\"sc-3f16ee48-12 sc-d1b14060-2 jyLmZI iQLtAb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n<p>From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"August 22, 2026 \u2014 1:44pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":864449,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,99],"class_list":["post-864448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=864448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/864449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=864448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=864448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=864448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}