A Brunswick house failed to sell at auction for the second time within six weeks despite a $150,000 price cut, and passed in on a vendor bid for a lower price than it fetched five years ago.

The stylish two-bedroom house at 17 Cliff Street came with a spa pool, modern kitchen and bathroom and wood heater, and is now available for private sale, asking $1.25 million.

The property was one of 570 scheduled to go to auction in Melbourne last week. By Saturday evening, Domain Group recorded a preliminary auction clearance rate of 58 per cent from 365 reported results throughout the week, while 67 auctions were withdrawn. Withdrawn auctions are counted as unsold properties when calculating the clearance rate.

The early read is similar to last week’s result of 57 per cent but is likely to be revised a few percentage points lower as more results are collected, and it remains below the key 60 per cent threshold considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers.

The Brunswick home last sold in 2021 for $1.31 million, records show.

It was returned to the market in June this year with a price guide of $1.3 million to $1.4 million, which was later cut to $1.25 million to $1.35 million.

After it passed in in July, its guide was updated to $1,295,000, before a new auction campaign began with a price guide of $1.15 million to $1.25 million.

On Saturday the home drew a crowd of about 30 but did not attract any genuine bids at auction. A vendor bid was placed at $1.17 million but with no further offers forthcoming, the property passed in again. The reserve had been $1.25 million.

Nelson Alexander Brunswick selling agent Jonathan West said two potential owner-occupier buyers are interested, and negotiations are continuing.

He noted that the house had gone to auction in July with a higher guide. “The owner had to lower their expectations,” he said.

West thought the property would be ideal for someone upgrading from an apartment or for a first home buyer, noting its proximity to shopping strip Sydney Road. He said the sellers were moving for work.

Some homes take time to sell, but other listings in his office had sold prior or under the hammer this week, he said.

“There has been some significant, good results, driven by low stock,” he said. “And we are going to see that going into spring.”

Elsewhere, in Abbotsford, a renovated terrace attracted six first home buyer bidders and sold for $1,135,000 under the hammer.

The two-bedroom house at 175 Vere Street had a guide of $900,000 to $990,000 and the reserve was set at the top of the range.

The first bid was $950,000 and the property was called on the market at $990,000. Two bidders fought it out, mostly in $1000 bids, but a bold last bid of $4000 sealed the deal.

Nelson Alexander Fitzroy selling agent Cameron Ingram said the winner was a professional man. “He was really excited that it was his first home,” he said.

It was the third investment property Ingram had sold for the vendor in the past couple of months.

“We are definitely seeing some increased activity, numbers through open for inspections,” he said. “This was a true single fronted Victorian in a great spot. It was move-in ready, didn’t require a lot of work.”

In Melbourne’s south, an upsizing family from Clayton paid $1.43 million under the hammer for a home in Dingley Village.

The four-bedroom house at 53 Wheatland Crescent was set on a block of 548 square metres and had been listed with a price guide of $1.39 million to $1.49 million.

A vendor bid was placed at $1.35 million but, when no genuine bids were made, the auction was paused.

Instead of passing in the property, Ray White The Bayside Group selling agent Kevin Chokshi negotiated with the buyer he knew was in the crowd. They made one bid of $1.43 million, the reserve price, and the house was announced on the market.

When none of the observers took the opportunity to counter their bid, the property sold.

“The appeal was obviously the area, but [also] the multiple living zones and ability to create a bit of a work-from-home space,” he said. The sellers are downsizing.

“The market is good. There is activity on almost every property,” he said. “The lower end, which is the first home buyer market, is pretty active.

“Well priced family homes are still quite active.”

But he said some knockdown-rebuilds, homes requiring extensive renovations and boutique apartments were struggling to sell.

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