David Bonaddio, Real Estate Reporter
First published 30 Oct 2026, 12:00pm
The four-bedroom home at 26 Marsh St, Maidstone, sold for $960,000 after the winning buyers made a promise that moved its longtime owners to tears.
A Melbourne couple who raised four children in their home burst into tears when its $960,000 buyers promised not to knock it down.
The four-bedroom house at 26 Marsh St, Maidstone , sold for $50,000 above its published $910,000 reserve on Saturday, October 24, with a family planning to demolish the property finishing as the underbidder.
Nelson Alexander auctioneer Ryan Currie said the sellers had arrived in Australia from Lebanon in 1982 before establishing their family home in Melbourne’s west.
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They raised four children at the property, with two attending the auction as their parents prepared to farewell the house.
Mr Currie said the 586sq m block had attracted interest from developers, who were drawn to its north-facing orientation and redevelopment potential.
However, despite several developers inspecting the property during the campaign, none attended the auction.
Instead, a local family hoping to knock down and rebuild the home finished as the underbidder, losing to purchasers who intended to live in the existing house.
Two of the sellers’ four children attended the emotional Maidstone auction, which ended with their parents preparing to downsize to Taylors Lakes.
The Maidstone home’s previous owners arrived from Lebanon in 1982 and went on to raise four children at the property.
Mr Currie said the sellers were eager to meet the winning buyers after the auction, having spent more than four decades building memories at the property.
The buyers told the couple they planned to retain the house, prompting an emotional reaction from both owners.
“Both of the husband and wife … burst into tears,” Mr Currie said.
He said the exchange had been particularly rewarding after a challenging period for Melbourne’s property market.
“I’ve been doing this 30 years and those moments … really make the job worthwhile,” he said.
The couple are now downsizing to a low-maintenance home in Taylors Lakes, while the purchasers intend to keep the Maidstone house as their family home.
The 586sq m Maidstone property attracted developers during the campaign, but a family planning to knock down and rebuild ultimately finished as the underbidder.
The winning buyers of 26 Marsh St, Maidstone, planned to retain the existing house, rather than demolish it, much to the relief of its former owners.
But it was not the only Melbourne auction where buyers were willing to compete for a property with renovation potential.
At 38 Alfred St, North Melbourne, three families fought for a four-bedroom home that sold for $1.506m, smashing its published $1.25m reserve by $256,000.
Bidding opened at $1.14m from a buyer’s advocate before Mr Currie placed a $1.2m vendor bid.
The price quickly climbed to $1.26m, when the property was declared on the market, before two bidders fought out the final stages.
Three families competed for 38 Alfred St, North Melbourne, pushing the four-bedroom home’s sale price to $1.506m, $256,000 above its published reserve.
Bidding at 38 Alfred St opened at $1.14m before auctioneer Ryan Currie placed a $1.2m vendor bid, with the property declared on the market at $1.26m.
Mr Currie said the 332sq m block was unusually large for North Melbourne, while a rare side driveway and north-facing orientation made the property particularly appealing despite its renovation needs.
One underbidder was an architect attracted to the opportunity to improve the home over time.
The successful buyers already lived in North Melbourne and were planning to downsize from a warehouse conversion within three to five years, anticipating the stairs at their existing home would eventually become difficult to manage.
The successful North Melbourne buyers planned to eventually downsize from a warehouse conversion, choosing a home they could improve over time.
Nelson Alexander auctioneer Ryan Currie said the North Melbourne house needed renovation but was considered liveable, with an architect among the underbidders attracted to its potential.
Mr Currie said buyers were increasingly considering their future needs and renovation costs rather than making decisions based solely on emotion.
“People are thinking a lot more logically at the moment, rather than emotionally,” he said.
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