Two Churchie families battle with $1000 bids to secure $3.3 million East Brisbane home

A character home just 200 metres from a top Queensland school sold for $3.311 million after two families slugged it out in $1000 bids.

The five-bedroom, four-bathroom home, at 79 Gresham Street, East Brisbane, sits around the corner from Anglican Church Grammar School – better known as Churchie – one of the city’s most exclusive private schools for boys.

Set on a rare 984-square-metre block, the two-level home is a five-minute drive to the city, with luxury features including a spa-sized bath in the main suite and a near 12-metre pool.

Seven buyers registered for the Saturday auction at the Calile Hotel, which opened at $2.7 million.

Quick $100,000 rises took it to $3.25 million, when it was called on the market. Two Churchie families remained, making $1000 and $3000 bids until the hammer fell.

“The reaction was raucous applause,” said Brandon Wortley, of Ray White Bulimba.

“The buyers were stoked … they’ve now got one of the best schools in Queensland just down the road.”

Wortley said the home itself and even the suburb helped fuel the bidding war.

“The house is pretty unique. Not a lot of homes exist in East Brisbane on blocks this size,” he said.

“And the suburb is growing up quickly. There’s hype around the Gabba stadium works and a really good selection of dining options now.”

Wortley said renewed buyer confidence had improved across the city, with the agency clocking one of its busiest weekends since the federal budget.

The home was one of 138 scheduled auctions across south-east Queensland. By Saturday evening, Domain recorded a preliminary clearance rate of 28 per cent from 89 reported results, with 13 homes withdrawn.

Nearby in Hawthorne, a couple from New Farm were the sole bidders on a sprawling four-bedroom house at 64 Amy Street, eventually paying $3,450,690 to get the keys.

The four-bedroom, two-bathroom home sits on a 698-square-metre block and had been freshly renovated.