Kath & Kim star Jane Turner’s home sells after passing in at auction on $7.1m bid

Kath & Kim star, Jane Turner has sold her Melbourne mansion, but the exact final selling price remains a mystery.

The comedian, actor, and screenwriter who brought to life the fictional TV character of Kath Day-Knight, sold the family home that she and her husband John Denton bought in 1997 for $802,500 according to CoreLogic records .

The five-bedroom 1884-built property in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Elwood, listed with Andy Nasr of Marshall White Bayside, was passed in at auction on Saturday with a $7.1 million bid.

It sold following the auction in negotiations for a price within the $7.5 million to $8 million guide. However an exact price has not been disclosed.

Big auction numbers

It was one of 3076 homes that went to auction in capital cities across the country last week, the highest volume since the week prior to Easter and only the second time this year that the weekly number of auctions has been above 3,000.

Meanwhile a large, three-bedroom retro home in a leafy street in Travencore, in Melbourne’s inner west, has sold for $1.722 million, soon after passing in at auction.

Listing agent Bruce Warburton from Woodards Essendon said a big crowd was in attendance to watch the home at 101-103 Mooltan Street go under the hammer.

However, it was passed in when the highest bid failed to meet the vendor’s reserve. The property was listed with a price guide of $1.7 million to $1.8 million.

“It was passed in on a genuine bid of $1.7 million and sold after negotiation for $1.722 million,” Mr Warburton said.

Sitting on a large 646 sq m block of land, the split-level brick home with a winding driveway maintains many of its original features, including a sunken retro lounge and chandelier light fittings.

The home was one of 1,603 properties that went to auction in Melbourne last week, well up from the 1,098 auctions held the previous week, according to CoreLogic. This time last year, 1,725 homes went to auction in Melbourne.

Melbourne’s preliminary clearance rate was 68.5 per cent, down from last week’s preliminary clearance rate of 69.2 per cent, which was revised down to 57.8 per cent once finalised. This time last year the auction clearance rate in Melbourne was 63.2 per cent.

Mansion passes in for $19 million

An exclusive Mediterranean-style villa in Centennial Park passed in at auction on Saturday for $19 million.

Despite having three potential buyers registering to bid on the luxury six-bedroom, six-bathroom home, the property at 86 Lang Road passed in on a vendor bid of $19 million.

It was one of 3,076 homes that went to auction in capital cities across the country last week, the highest volume since the week prior to Easter and only the second time this year where the weekly number of auctions has been above 3,000.

At the time of writing, lead agent Ben Collier from The Agency Eastern Suburbs said they were negotiating with one of the buyers in the hope of selling the romantic two-storey villa, located just moments to Woollahra Village and 250 metres to the Jervois Avenue Centennial Park gates.

Known as ‘Formentera’, the stunning residence is set behind alluring parterre gardens and features a grand, formal living room, an outdoor pool, a marble kitchen and lavish master wing with balcony, ensuite and a dressing room.

It was last sold in 2021 for $12.5 million, records show.

The home was one of 987 properties that went to auction in Sydney last week, slightly up from the 974 auctions held the previous week, according to CoreLogic. This time last year, 1,071 homes went to auction in Sydney.

Sydney’s preliminary clearance rate was 64.5 per cent, down from last week’s preliminary clearance rate of 70.5 per cent, which revised down to 60.6 per cent once finalised. This time last year the auction clearance rate in Sydney was 64.2 per cent.

Developer interest

Meanwhile, in North Bendigo, a brick home that has been in the one family for more than a century, also passed in at auction on Saturday morning.

The sprawling property at 30 Norfolk Street, which was once part of a farm, and later used to house show horses and trotters, was listed with a price guide of $600,000 to $650,000.

Listing agent Conor Hosking from Stockdale & Leggo Bendigo said most of the interest in the property had come from the neighbours.

“We had interest from mum and dad developers looking to buy the neighbours’ house,” he said.

“These types of investors accumulate three or four properties in the block and then offer them together to a developer,” he said.

However, he said on this occasion they weren’t prepared to meet the vendor’s reserve.

“The property is part of a deceased estate. We had a few people there but no one wanted to make that jump,” he said.

Auctions to drop off

CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless said the number of auctions is set to drop significantly next week.

“Auction activity is set to reduce next week with around 2,000 auctions currently scheduled, rising to around 2,800 the week after,” he said.

Meanwhile, the preliminary capital city auction clearance rate dropped to 66.8 per cent.

“It slipped a little relative to the week prior, down from 67.4 per cent, which revised to 58.2 per cent on the final results; the lowest finalised clearance rate in the year to-date,” he said.