Young family secures $1.5m nature-filled sanctuary home

A couple of “chonky” koalas snoozing in a gum tree upstaged an auctioneer at an Upper Mount Gravatt on Saturday, with all eyes - including the four bidders – instead glued to the furry housemates.

As bidding kicked off at $1.1 million for the five-bedroom home at 43 Granby Street, the tree-hugging pair remained fast asleep on the bough of a tree just 10 metres from the home.

Another mum added to the rare ‘Nat Geo’ show when she leapt up a neighbouring tree with her bub on her back.

Despite the welcome distractions, a young family managed to nab the keys for $1.5 million, sparking the vendor to burst into tears at the realisation she’d be farewelling her nature-filled sanctuary and precious housemates.

“It was emotional for them … during the auction the wife was crying and when I called it on the market I had to rush to the bathroom to get her tissues,” lead selling agent Ricky Tan of Torres Property said.

“You talk about every house being unique – but this one really was special. And I do think those koalas really solidified the deal for buyers.”

“For the buyer, her family are all in Hong Kong and this house has dual living, so it means they don’t just have a place to stay when they visit, but they don’t have to go to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary either.

“It was also the first time she was seeing the (home’s resident) koalas in real life. But for the neighbours watching, they were used to it.

Perched on a 969-square-metre block that backs onto Mount Gravatt Reserve, the mid-century home features hardwood floors, a sprawling patio and its own private walking trail into the bush. It was purchased by the vendors in 2022 for $1.17 million.

While four bidders registered, three actively competed for the keys in front of a small crowd.

“It was the first time I’ve called an auction and haven’t had all eyes on me,” auctioneer Amir Shamsi said.

“I think with this property the home itself the fact it’s a big lot that backs onto the reserve with those beautiful trees and koalas made it popular.”

Shamsi said while the market remained subdued, more genuine buyers had emerged over the past few weeks.

“When the market is shifting like this we see more buyers trying to get into better suburbs that they maybe couldn’t afford to get into before,” he said.