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Charity House Auction Raises $270k for Sick Kids

THE House the Coast Built went under the hammer on Sunday 14 February 2016, setting the precedent for future sales in Flame Tree Pocket and netting $270,000 for Wishlist.

The air was electric as more than 200 people gathered to watch three bidders battle it out at the midday auction.

Auctioneer Dan Sowden, of Ray White Maroochydore, encouraged people to “bid with their hearts” with all money raised going to Wishlist to help them continue to improve the lives of families needing pediatric services on the Sunshine Coast.

With an opening bid of $400,000 tabled, the bids quickly climbed until a phone bid sealed the sale at $505,000. Ray White Maroochydore sales manager Jason Mills assisted an Australian man living in Taipei to secure the property as an investment and possible future home for his small family.

In a first for Mr Mills, his client was “present” for the auction via Skype and was able to see the hundreds of onlookers clapping their congratulations at the conclusion of the sale as he was announced the new owner.

Securing the property was also the culmination of many firsts for the international worker. He was the first of the 134 interested buyers to inspect the property over the Christmas holidays. He was also the first to register as a bidder.

Mr Mills said the man had family on the Coast who had kept him in the loop with all of the media coverage on the house, which was built over three months by Ausmar Homes with the assistance of more than 60 contractors, suppliers and businesses who donated everything from time to materials.

“He was worried there would be thousands of registered bidders and there would be more competition than he could handle,” Mr Mills said.

“He was very impressed with the quality of the property and he felt that Sippy Downs was an area that would continue to grow with the nearby hospital and the infrastructure going into the area.

“Because it is not a massive block, there would not be a lot of maintenance as well, so there is not a lot that can go wrong.”

Catch all the action by clicking here to watch the Auction.

Battling pre-auction nerves, Wishlist CEO Lisa Rowe was noticeably relaxed once the sale of their third charity home was complete. She said the figure of $505,000 meant Wishlist would receive about $270,000 to put towards the pediatric services the charity supports.

“This means we can continue to provide services that help families for many years to come,” Ms Rowe said.

Mr Sowden said interest in the property had been high, with no remaining land available in the Flame Tree Pocket estate.

“The interest in the home has probably been seven or eight times that of what we normally see for a property in that area,” he said.

“We had three bidders on the day but we’ve had more than 130 buyer inspections over the past seven weeks.

“This is the first residence in this area to go up for sale and $505 (thousand) is a fair number.”

The sales figure also captured the attention of Nikki and Ben Cross, who live down the street. The couple and their young son moved into Flame Tree Pocket in early December and watched on with interest as the charity home took shape.

“It’s a really nice street and whoever wins the house is going to be really happy here,” Mrs Cross said.

“We love it because it’s close to work and close to daycare and it’s close to everything on the Coast, but still far enough away.

“We came along today also to see what the house value would be worth.”

Mr Mills said everyone had been a winner on the day, with his client receiving an investment property and future family home and Wishlist receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars for their priceless work for Sunshine Coast families, like the Delahayes.

“Four years ago, we came into contact with Wishlist after we received the phone call no one ever wants, that our six-year-old Indianna had been diagnosed with cancer,” Zac Delahaye said.

“Wishlist have since become a part of our family forever.

“You can’t put a price on that, but today you can put a price on something that helps families like mine.”

An announcement on the first Wishlist project to benefit from funds raised through the sale of the house will be made later this week.

House Specs

  • 4 Bed
  • 2 Bath
  • 2 Car garage
  • 1 Pool
  • 220sq m functional living
  • 435sq m land size.

The bidding war

  • Opening bid $400,000
  • $450,000
  • $470,000
  • $490,000
  • $495,000
  • $500,000
  • $500,500
  • Winning bid: $505,000
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