‘One of the best spots in Clovelly’: Six families fight for $10.4m home

The proceeds of the deceased estate will be donated to charity after six local families competed for the beachside residence. PropertyNewsAuctions‘One of the best spots in Clovelly’: Six families fight for $10.4m homeBy Carmen Forward February 16, 2026 — 11.47amSaveLog in, register or subscribe to save articles for later.Save articles for laterAdd articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.Got itNormal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeProperty listingsAdvertisementA five-bedroom, beachside home with direct access to Clovelly beach sold for $10,425,000 at auction on Saturday, with the entire proceeds, including any agent commission donated to The Smith Family.The generously sized deceased estate at 9 Surfside Avenue sold under the hammer above its $9 million reserve. Channel Nine news cameras were filming the charity auction as six local families fiercely fought for the upsizing opportunity before a crowd of 80 people. Nine owns this masthead.The price guide was $7.75 million. There is no legal requirement for a vendor’s reserve to be in line with their property’s price guide.Bidding opened at $8.2 million and rose in $100,000 increments for the majority of the way, with a few $25,000 bids in between.Selling agent Alexander Phillips from PPD said, “They just loved the position being on the beach. And they just came across the sign. Well, that’s how they found it, going down to the beach one day.”Loading“This is under 800 square metres of land, the position right on the beach, like, it’s an amazing spot where it is. It’s one of the best spots in Clovelly.”Phillips said while the market is, “a bit patchy”... “it’s almost like a recession proof property” due to its location.The buyer is from Queens Park.AdvertisementThe property was one of 1009 scheduled auctions in Sydney last week. By Saturday evening, Domain Group recorded a preliminary auction clearance rate of 69.8 per cent from 649 reported results, while 127 auctions were withdrawn. Withdrawn auctions are counted as unsold properties when calculating the clearance rate.Elsewhere, a five-bedroom, deceased estate that had grass growing on the roof, and a swamp-like swimming pool of rainwater, sold under the hammer for $5.58 million, which was $480,000 above its $5.1 million reserve.Twelve parties registered for the “very run down” Strathfield property at 9 Birnam Grove, guided at $4.6 million.Bidding opened at $4.5 million, and six actively increased the pace in $100,000 and $50,000 increments before slowing to $20,000 and $10,000 bids. Most were developers, along with some owner occupiers looking to knock down and rebuild.Selling agent Jerrie Harris from McGrath Strathfield said, “I think twenty grand, just shy of $5.6 [million]... is insane for just a piece of land.”Loading“The home was uninhabitable. There’s grass on the roof,” he said, adding, “It’s been vacant and empty for a while, so I think all the water that’s inside [the swimming pool] now is rainwater.“The reason why it sold for such an amazing price is just because of the land value. It’s one of the highest points in Strathfield.” Based on previous tri-level sales on the street and the land value, Harris said a luxury build could fetch $12 - $13 million.The buyer is a developer from Strathfield who plans to build a trophy home.In Northbridge, a two-bedroom apartment with no parking was guided at $1 million. The freshly painted unit was one of four flats within the apartment building at 3/270 Sailors Bay Road.According to selling agent Nicolas Boot, an Englishman in the 1920s built six apartment buildings in a row which contained four units in each and gifted each apartment building to each of his six daughters as an investment.“A good start in life,” Boot said. “They’re heritage listed, and they’re all pretty much the same.”Four parties registered, three were active, and two were first home buyers. Bidding opened at $980,000 and jumped in $20,000 and $10,000 rises; it rapidly hit its reserve of $1.1 million, and shorter advances of $5000 and $2000 were met out before a winning $6000 bid secured the flat for $1,218,000.Boot said, “anything under $1.5 [million] is probably really doing well. Lots of first-time buyers are very, very active with their parents in tow.”LoadingAuctioneer Ed Riley from the eponymous agency said, “motivated buyers are willing to compete aggressively for quality property in tightly held pockets such as Northbridge.”The buyer was an investor from Bellevue Hill. The vendor, an interior designer, was “thrilled”.The property last traded for $510,000 in 2009, records show.In Surry Hills, a two-bedroom terrace with no parking and an internal area of 100 square metres at 32 Bennett Street sold for $2,575,000. The adorable home set on a cobblestone laneway was spread over three levels.Guided at $2.4 million, just one buyer registered as a couple of curious onlookers watched on.Negotiations of $2.5 million, $2,525,000, $2,550,000 and $2,575,000 were managed between the agent and auctioneer and buyer and vendor over a 25-minute period until it sold under auction conditions to