A 98-year-old woman in Brisbane, Australia, has sold a house that her father built in 1921, bringing an end to 105 years of ownership by the same family. The three-bedroom property, located at 87 Khartoum Street in Gordon Park, was sold at auction for A$2.03 million after attracting interest from several buyers.According to a report by Australian property website Domain, the house stands on an 810-square-metre block in Brisbane’s inner-north suburb. Ten bidders registered for the auction, including first-home buyers, couples and families. Five of them actively participated in the bidding before the property was sold to a local family.The house had remained with the original owner’s descendants since its construction in 1921. Several generations of the family were born there, making the sale significant for its long ownership history. The property is a traditional Queenslander-style home, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and parking space for three vehicles.The winning buyer was already familiar with the neighbourhood. His family owns several properties in Gordon Park and had been interested in this particular house for some time. However, he did not join the bidding immediately and instead waited until the property was officially placed on the market
Auction of the century-old house
The auction began with a bid of A$1.5 million from first-home buyers. As more participants entered the competition, offers initially increased in increments of A$100,000.When the price approached A$1.9 million, the increases became smaller, ranging between A$25,000 and A$50,000. Once bidding reached A$2 million, buyers began making even smaller offers.According to Ray White Wilston agent Holly Bowden, the auction was paused several times because the second-highest bidder needed to seek instructions over the phone.The eventual buyer entered the competition only after the property was declared on the market at A$2.01 million. He then secured the house for A$2.03 million.Explaining his decision to wait, Bowden told Domain, “He didn’t want to expose himself until he knew that there was an opportunity for him to secure it.”She added, “They own a number of properties in the suburb, and this was the prized property that they’d always had their sights on. It’s got that beautiful street presence.”
The Queenslander-style home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and three parking spaces.
The 105-year history
What made the Gordon Park property different from many other homes offered at auction is its ownership history. The house was built in 1921 by the father of the 98-year-old seller. It remained in the family for the next 105 years, with multiple generations living there and being born in the property.For the estate agent handling the transaction, the opportunity to sell a house with such a long family history was unusual. Bowden described the sale as an honour and said properties with this kind of history rarely become available. “You get just one shot at properties like this,” she said.The winning family will now take ownership of the property, ending more than a century of ownership by the descendants of the man who originally built it.
Brisbane property market
The sale took place during a weekend when Brisbane recorded an auction clearance rate of 18 per cent. Across the city, 178 properties were scheduled for auction. Of these, 125 auctions were reported, with 23 properties sold, 15 withdrawn and 87 passed in.Against these figures, the Gordon Park house attracted considerable interest, with ten registered bidders and five active participants. The A$2.03 million transaction was among the successful sales recorded in Brisbane during the weekend.The Brisbane sale was not the only transaction involving an older property reported by Domain. In Sydney, a sandstone cottage built around 1850 was sold for A$1.45 million to a first-home buyer. The 176-year-old property, located at 227 Australia Street in Newtown, had previously sold for A$1.545 million in June 2023.Meanwhile, in Victoria’s Dromana, a renovated one-bedroom unit located about 80 metres from the beach sold for A$475,000 following negotiations after its auction.
