Former Canberra Raiders-turned-Parramatta Eels player Josh Hodgson and his wife, Kirby, sold their Denman Prospect home for a sweet $1.7 million at auction on Saturday.
Hodgson played for the Canberra Raiders in 2014 and remained with the team until 2022, including a tenure as co-captain in 2021. He made the move to the Parramatta Eeels at the start of this season.
The NRL player bought the block at 44 Greenwood Street in 2020, records show, and enlisted McDonald Jones Homes to build the four-bedroom house in 2021.
The property sits on more than 600 square metres of land and comes with a stylish kitchen, spacious bedrooms and a low-maintenance backyard.
Two years later, the home has traded hands to a local Canberra family, selling agent Jonny Warren of Jonny Warren Properties said, but not without a fight.
Bidding for the property started at $1.4 million before it was countered by a $1.42 million offer. The opening party then increased their offer to $1.5 million.
But a third entrant came in with a $1.55 million bid, knocking the first bidder out of the race. The two parties continued to increase the price in increments of $5000 and $10,000.
When it reached $1.69 million, the stride shortened to bids of $1000 and $3000. When it reached $1.7 million, Warren announced it was on the market and, with no further offers, the hammer fell.
"This was the price we were chasing, which was also based on feedback we received from interested parties throughout the campaign," Warren said.
"We didn't know what was going to happen and where we would land but to have five registered bidders, to have it start strong at $1.4 million and then finish at $1.7 million in this market is great."
Canberra recorded a preliminary auction clearance rate of 63 per cent on Saturday, from 53 scheduled auctions of which 27 were sold, eight had been withdrawn and five were passed in.
The capital's clearance results have been hovering around the 60 per cent mark in recent weeks and, despite the significant change year-on-year, Warren said he was positive about properties selling under the hammer.
"Personally, we've sold all our properties at auction but it does depend on the home," he said.
"A home like this Denman Prospect home doesn't come up often. It was quite unique, on a good block size ... you could either overshoot the price or undersell but we got a good price by the end of it.
"I think it's the right way to sell a home, so even if it fails to sell under the hammer, you can set a price and sell it privately."
