1,596,600 reasons to celebrate as Strathnairn Charity House sells at ‘unforgettable’ auction

The auction of Strathnairn Charity House was never going to be any ordinary event — but with lightning, torrential rain, the auction crowd huddled in the home’s double garage and two hours of bidding, it’s an event that will be unforgettable for those lucky enough to attend.

At the end of Saturday’s marathon two-hour auction, Strathnairn Charity Home sold for $1,596,600: the second highest sale in the suburb to date. The lucky new owners are a family already living in Strathnairn: Naresh, Chamari and their two sons. In a truly special plot twist, Naresh used to work for one the charities benefiting from the proceeds of the sale.

“They loved the quality of the fit-out, the multigenerational living option, as well as the extra space they needed for their older children,” sales agent Natalie Kokic Schmidt says.

“They could see the home was built with love.

“Their neighbours are so happy they’re staying in the suburb so they’ll all be celebrating together once they move in.”

It was a truly special day for the designers, builders and marketers of the home — who all volunteered their time to the project — and cheers erupted when the gavel fell. Strathnairn Charity House is a joint venture of Ginninderry and Master Builders ACT, and proceeds from the sale of the home will benefit Hands Across Canberra, Canberra City Care, Pegasus Riding for the Disabled and Karinya House. More than 60 subcontractors and trade suppliers donated time and materials to build the home.

As the exclusive property portal for the sale of the home, we’re incredibly proud to announce that Canberrans were just as obsessed with Strathnairn Charity House as we were.

More than 98,000 people visited the listing on Zango, generating 363 enquiries. More than 100 groups inspected the home during the 23-day sales and marketing period, and the home now has a spot in Zango’s Top 10 Most Viewed Properties of All Time.

Sales agent Lisa Silberberg says enquiries about the ultra-modern four-bedroom, three-bathroom property were strong from the onset.

“Early in the campaign, it became very clear that more opportunities to view the home would need to be facilitated,” she says.

“We had a phenomenal number of inspections in the current climate. 

“There was high engagement in the property, and this exponentially exceeded the average engagements achieved across similar homes offered for sale.”

For sales agent and auctioneer Sandra Masters, the auction was “the longest single auction I have called”.

“It seems like a long auction in hindsight but it didn’t feel that way at the time,” she says.

“It’s longer than you’d expect on a standard residential home, but this was no standard sale. 

“I love auctions so the excitement, the adrenaline, the crowd, it all kept me going. Rain is only a bit of water after all.

“I think it was right to give the buyers a bit longer to discuss and decide, we ended up with almost an extra $45,000 in $500 and $1,000 bids, so the extra time was worth it, this is all just money direct to charity.”

For sales agent Cris O’Brien, it's an experience she’ll never forget.

“It was amazing to work in collaboration with all the wonderful, generous people involved in the initiative to ultimately achieve the best possible result for the local charities,” Cris says.

“This was Canberra at its absolute best.”

Ginninderry’s Head of Community, Marketing and Communications, Marcus Mills-Smith says the sales campaign for the home finished up a phenomenal two years on the project.

"I particularly want to thank our Zango dream team of five female sales agents drawn from a range of Canberra’s leading agencies," Marcus says.

"They became incredible advocates for the home and their commitment to getting the best outcome for our charity partners was obvious.”

Strathnairn Charity House: The numbers

Listing views: 98,725

Photo, video and floorplan views: 172,456

Enquiries: 363 (includes alerts) 

Days on market: 23 

Sold for: $1,596,600