An apartment that overlooks one of Sydney busiest roads sold to a casino worker on Saturday for more than $1 million.

A house in Kingsford described as having “endless potential” sold more than $1 million above its reserve at auction on Saturday.

The unrenovated, three-bedroom house attracted 27 bidders who forced the price up to $3,065,000 – $1,065,000 more than the owners were hoping for. They had bought it in 2008 for just $1,015,000.

NG Farah agent Glenn Farah said while the result was “out of line” with other results in the area, the house at 6 Forsyth Street was close to the University of NSW and on a quiet, 500-square-metre corner block, which appealed to many buyers.

“For someone to pay so much there must be something there,” he said.

It was one of 578 properties listed to go under the hammer on Saturday. By the evening Domain Group had collected 408 results with a clearance rate of 73.3 per cent. Last week’s rate was 76.9 per cent.

“The autumn market commenced with the lowest result for a month and relatively low auction numbers,” said Domain Group’s chief economist Andrew Wilson.

Despite this it was a day when fierce competition forced the price of some homes way over reserve.

A bungalow at 3 Douglas Street, Chatswood, sold for $315,000 more than its reserve price of $2 million, through McGrath Lane Cove.

It was a similar story in the neighbouring suburb of Artarmon, where 250 groups inspected 12 Weedon Road before Saturday’s auction, and the opening bid sailed $100,000 over the reserve. It finally sold for $3.16 million – $360,000 above what the owners were hoping for. Ray White Lower North Shore’s Danny Grant said despite the overwhelming number of people, he was surprised at how quick and competitive the bidding was.

A few kilometres away in Naremburn, agent David Gillan from LJ Hooker Willoughby was also swamped by prospective buyers for 24 Mitchell Street.

He had 65 groups through on the first inspection weekend. “I haven’t had those numbers in six years,” he said.

The renovated three-bedroom house on 215 square metres was bought at Saturday’s auction by young couple from Greenwich for $2,115,000.

“It’s still a strong sellers’ market because of the lack of supply,” Mr Gillan said. “But it’s a bit easier so far this year for purchasers to get a feel for the prices they need to pay.

“We’re starting to see growth slow down.”

There was nothing slow about the auction of a classic “Pettit and Sevitt” house at West Pennant Hills, where seven groups kept auctioneer Stuart Benson, of Benson Auctions, busy for half an hour as they tried to out-do each other. After 68 bids the hammer fell at $1,237,500 for the unrenovated house at 31 Eaton Road – $237,500 more than the reserve.

Mr Benson said properties in the north-west were “still very much in demand”, and that he expected “another busy year” in 2016.

On the northern beaches a Modernist-style home with grandstand ocean views over the coast sold for $2,045,000 – $245,000 more than its reserve. It was its first time the architect-designed house at 26 Lancaster Crescent in Collaroy had traded since being built.

In the eastern suburbs another unrenovated house, at 153 Bay Street, Botany, was snapped up by a local family who knocked out the competition with a strong opening bid of $1.5 million, before securing it a short time later for $1,518,500.

Agent Cameron Airlie, of NG Farah, said the location of the house opposite Booralee Park had been its big drawcard.

While the eastern suburbs was “always strong”, buyers were “more selective” about properties. “It’s gone from fifth gear to fourth,” he said.