Sprawling house in Dudley delivers Lake Macquarie’s biggest sale of the year so far

A house in Dudley has achieved the highest sale price for a residential property in Lake Macquarie this year so far.

A five-bedroom, three-bathroom home at 61 Seacourt Avenue sold for $4.4 million with Belle Property’s Anthony Di Nardo and Brendan Murgatroyd after 14 days on the market.

The property was purchased by a family moving from an acreage in the Hunter Valley.

“They want to live that beach lifestyle in Dudley and I am finding a lot of buyers, even from Merewether and the city, are starting to gravitate toward that area around Dudley and Whitebridge,” Mr Murgatroyd said.

“It seems like a trend at the moment.”

The $4.4 million result is the equal third-highest sale price for a house in Dudley.

An acreage at 15 Durfold Street sold for $4.4 million at auction in July 2023, also with Belle Property.

A $5 million house overlooking the ocean at 6 Bombala Street sold in June 2021 is the most expensive in Dudley, followed by a three-bedroom house at 19 Knoll Avenue that fetched $4.51 million in July 2022.

The property on Seacourt Avenue was initially listed off-market which drew 27 groups to inspect the home before it went to market via an expressions of interest campaign.

Mr Murgatroyd said the listing drew 71 enquiries.

“What it came down to was a bit of competition between offers from database buyers and those at the first open house inspection,” he said.

“We received the initial offer and then negotiated with all competing parties before it was officially sold on Friday.”

The agent said a large portion of buyers interested in the property already lived in Dudley.

“There are a lot of people in Dudley who want to stay in Dudley, but want more space,” he said.

“I would say 50 per cent of buyers on this property were from Dudley.”

The large home spans 500 square metres of internal floor space and an outdoor entertaining area, with panoramic views across Glenrock State Reserve, Dudley Beach and Bar Beach.

Set across two levels, the house has two large balconies on the ground floor and top floor, with multiple living areas.

The top level has a large living area with floor-to-ceiling windows, a formal dining room, a family room and the kitchen, plus three bedrooms, including the master with ensuite and walk-in robe.

The ground level has two additional bedrooms, a bathroom and a large living area with a bar.

“I think that was why this buyer was so emotional, just with those views and the sheer size of the home,” he said.

“The separate access downstairs, which has its own kitchenette, bathroom and bedrooms, was very appealing for larger families or a family with older kids.”

Mr Murgatroyd said the new owner’s plans for the property include an infinity edge pool and upgrades to the kitchen and bathrooms.

CoreLogic records show the sellers purchased the vacant 1018 square metre block of land in 1985 for $82,000.

“It was built as a big family home,” he said.

“They bought the land and were one of the first to own land at that end of Seacourt Avenue, but they actually waited six years for two homes on the left and right to build so they could make sure they had the best outlook when they built.

“Even from the bottom level of the house, you have beautiful views of Bar Beach.”

Mr Murgatroyd said the result exceeded expectations.

“We were looking at around early fours [$4 million] and the vendor’s expectations were around that mark,” he said.

The median house price in Dudley has climbed to $1 million, according to CoreLogic.

Other big sales in Lake Macquarie that have hit the $4 million mark this year include a six-bedroom house at 111 Ross Street in Belmont that sold for $4 million in May.

A waterfront property at 83 Dilkera Avenue in Valentine also fetched $4 million in May.

This article originally appeared on view.com.au.