Auction round-up: Ultimate family home fetches $2.03 million at auction in Charlestown

A five-bedroom house in Charlestown has sold for a record price at auction.

The two-level home on 646 square metres at 42 Wakal Street went to auction with listing agents Brooke Degotardi and Erin Valentinis of Belle Property Hunter region.

The property had an auction guide of $1.85 million.

Four of the five registered bidders were local, and the fifth buyer was from Canberra.

“The auction started at $1.75 million and the opening bidder went on to be the successful purchaser,” Ms Degotardi said.

“Four out of the five were bidding, and we had 33 bids in total.

“It was fast paced until it hit the $2 million mark, and then it came to a bit of a standstill and went on to sell under the hammer for $2.030 million.”

A local family bought the home.

Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) records show the property was previously transacted in 2017 for $751,500.

The property has since undergone a complete renovation and an extension, adding a second level.

“We wanted to see two as the front number, but we weren’t sure how it would unfold,” she said.

“It was one of those auctions where we knew the result would happen, but we didn’t know how far it would push.”

The floor plan has five bedrooms, three bathrooms and an open plan living, dining and kitchen space on the ground level.

The top floor has a master suite with a walk-in robe, a separate living area, and a kitchenette with an integrated bar fridge and dishwasher.

Outside has a covered alfresco area overlooking the in-ground swimming pool.

It’s Charlestown’s second-most-expensive house and the highest price for a non-acreage residential property.

“It’s the highest price for a non-acreage, so we were very pleased to deliver that result for the owners who put their heart and soul into the renovation,” she said.

“You could tell they purposely built it to live in and enjoy.

“No stone had been unturned with the level of quality; it had well-thought-out features and high-end inclusions like heated flooring.

“The master bedroom suite upstairs had a built-in bar, which was a very Melbourne-style wine bar with strip lighting.

“Everything was high-end.”

The suburb record in Charlestown was set in June 2021 when a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house at 59 E K Avenue sold for $2.325 million with George Rafty at First National Newcastle City Real Estate.

By comparison, the property spans almost 2.5 acres.

Only three residential properties have sold for more than $2 million in Charlestown.

The third is a five-bedroom, four-bathroom house on 1475 square metres at 32 Princes Avenue, which was sold for $2.025 million in February 2024 with Michael Edwards at Shiels and Co Property.

Ms Degotardi said the property was well-received during the auction campaign, with 137 enquiries and 55 groups attending open house inspections.

“It was a real show home; you would be very proud to call it home,” she said.

It was one of 19 properties scheduled for auction in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie in the week ending May 18.

According to Cotality’s preliminary results, auctions in the region recorded a clearance rate of 72.2 per cent.

In Mayfield, a renovated three-bedroom 1920s period home on 1026 square metres at 28 Upfold Street had four registered bidders at auction.

Listed with a guide of $1.4 million to $1.5 million with Joe Di Claudio at Dowling Property Group, the auction opened with a bid of $1.2 million.

In Mayfield, a renovated three-bedroom 1920s period home on 1026 square metres at 28 Upfold Street had four registered bidders at auction.

Listed with a guide of $1.4 million to $1.5 million with Joe Di Claudio at Dowling Property Group, the auction opened with a bid of $1.2 million.

Listed with an auction guide of $850,000, the property was sold for $965,000.

Cotality records show it was last sold in 2017 for $556,000.