2 & 2A Fairview Street, Hawthorn

Sold $3,825,000 Agent Jellis Craig Price range $2.5 million-$2.75 million

A buyer has shelled out more than $1.2 million over reserve for a humble brick duplex in a blue ribbon location.

Two apartments, 2 and 2A Fairview Road in a riverside nook of Hawthorn, sold together for $3,825,000 at auction on Saturday. It took just seven bids, on an opening of $2.4 million, for the unassuming 1930s property to hit reserve.

Jellis Craig auctioneer Richard Earle told the two bidders, aggressively trading $25,000 increments, that the property was on the market at $2.6 million.

Before the auction, Mr Earle said some prospective buyers indicated they would build a dream home on the plum 666-square-metre block, which has a 36-metre frontage.

The auction was quick, with the new owner – a middle-aged man with young children in tow – nicking inside to ink the contract after just 10 minutes of trading bids with his opposition.

Fairview is a picturesque street which snakes towards the Yarra River, on the lip of Richmond, in an area dubbed Scotch Hill.

The property, Kenilworth, was built in 1938 in a duplex style of a ground-floor apartment and an upper-floor apartment, which are in mostly original condition.

During the campaign, Jellis Craig spruiked its potential as an investment – live in one, rent out the other – or as a triple-A site for a new house, with its city views and proximity to some of Melbourne’s best private schools.

Hawthorn recently topped a list of suburbs with the greatest price growth in Melbourne. House prices in the eastern suburb climbed 27.7 per cent over the year to June, according to Domain Group data, achieving a median of $2,116,500. Emily Power

18 Campbell Road, Deepdene

Sold $6,205,000 Agent Kay & Burton Price range $4 million+

The triple-fronted Victorian house smashed reserve by $1.4 million. The home sold to a local family after the under-bidder unsuccessfully fired off a series of $100,000 and $200,000 knockout bids. “It was an extraordinary auction with rapid-fire bidding,” auctioneer Scott Patterson said. “The final 10 bids netted nearly $1 million.” A 150-strong crowd watched six bidders fight tooth and nail for the 1890s property. The five-bedroom home on 1300 square metres was declared on the market at $4.8 million. Chris Tolhurst

227A Danks Street, Albert Park

Sold $2.03 million Agent Hocking Stuart Price range $1.75 million+

This gorgeous balcony terrace, just two blocks from the beach and across the road from a playground, was always going to tug at prospective buyers’ heartstrings. A man promptly responded to auctioneer David Wood’s invite to start at $1.7 million and another would-be buyer offered $10,000 more. It looked to be a short auction when the action fizzled out at $1.73 million until Mr Wood told the crowd he would skip the half-time break and pass the property in to the highest bidder. The offers resumed and a couple were on the verge of securing the home when a man jumped in, last minute, for a short, speedy duel. But the couple were persistent and bought the house for $2.03 million. The reserve was $1.8 million. Christina Zhou

28 Lily Street, Seddon

Sold $1.31 million Agent Nelson Alexander Price range $950,000-$1,030,000

The auction of this architect’s own home (Vivian from Studio Faithfull) drew an eclectic crowd of 100 people, and three made offers from the beginning. An older man offered $1 million before a younger man offered $1.05 million. A woman made a few bids, before leaving the two men to fight for the impressive two-storey, three-bedroom house. Lily Street itself is more a laneway, with new townhouses popping up in what would have been backyards. The young man’s last offer was a bemusing $1,300,888, but he let it go when the other man offered $1.31 million to win. The reserve was $1.03 million. Jayne D’Arcy

52 Elizabeth Street, Malvern

Sold Undisclosed Agent Marshall White Price range About $6 million

There’s much to say about this five-bedroom Victorian with an incredible Robson Rak reno, but perhaps outlining the features of the back garden – where the auction was held – gives some idea. While some of the 150 people in attendance gazed into the glass-walled swimming pool, others stood by the outdoor gas fire admiring the ridiculously high glass doors that opened out to the stone bench in the kitchen, high-ceiling lounge with a stunning brick fireplace and walls lined with the same timber that featured on the floors throughout. However, auctioneer Justin Long only received one $50,000 rise for the property after his $5.7 million vendor bid, so it passed in. The property sold after auction for an undisclosed amount. Jayne D’Arcy

41 Johnson Street, Northcote

Sold $1.34 million Agent McGrath Price range $1 million-$1.07 million

A call for bids was met with a long silence and then a low-ball offer of $800,000. Auctioneer Michael Divito managed what became, at times, a fast-paced auction for this 1910 Edwardian. A half dozen potential buyers pushed the value to $1.26 million in a series of mostly $10,000 bids, within a few minutes. Declared on the market within that frenzy (at $1.12 million), the auction was then only being contested by three parties, until $1,308,000, when a new bidder joined the fray. This man only needed to make a few more bids to secure the property for $1.34 million. Marc Pallisco

33 Ogilvie Street, Essendon

Sold $1,113,000 Agent Brad Teal Price range $790,000-$860,000

Essendon is perennially popular, so it was no surprise to see seven bidders throw their hands up at the auction of this neat weatherboard. Auctioneer Brad Airs said a variety of buyers were in the hunt for the four-bedroom house, in the Buckley Park school zone, from first-timers to investors. An opening bid of $750,000 was quickly upped by a vendor bid of $800,000. Fresh bidding at $850,000 and $915,000 kept all contenders on their toes. The hammer fell in favour of two young men, one on a mobile phone, who were late to the competition. Emily Power

8 Dendy Street, Brighton

Sold $2.03 million Agent Nick Johnstone Price range $1.7 million+

Auctioneer Nick Johnstone told the 90-strong crowd a day did not go by when he didn’t receive an inquiry concerning the availability of single-level properties close to the beach. His comment looked to be on the money, for as soon as bids were called a suited man offered $1.75 million. A $1.8 million vendor bid followed and this spacious three-bedroom villa unit, one of four built 22 years ago, was in play. Another main in a suit pushed the bidding to an on-the-market $1,935,000. The two players – representing two local retiree families – then duked it out until the second contestant secured the keys for $2.03 million, a price record for a single-level unit in Brighton. The property has a double garage topped with a first-floor studio and is 150 metres from the Dendy Street beach bathing boxes. Chris Tolhurst