First published 10 Nov 2026, 5:00am
The rundown house 3 Bostock Ave, Manifold Heights has sold for $1.12m.
The buyers of a rundown house in Manifold Heights have plenty of financial room to play with when they plot the redevelopment of the residence.
The 873sq m property at 3 Bostock Ave was snapped up for $1.12m at a three-way auction on Saturday, beating the vendor’s $1.05m reserve by $70,000.
But Jellis Craig Geelong agent Jeff Begg said there’s little risk the buyers, a local family, would end up overcapitalising when they roll up their sleeves to rebuilt, as the top sale in the street is above $3m.
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That’s because the four-bedroom weatherboard house is the epitome of the worst house in the best street.
“That was the first time offered in over 47 years,” Mr Begg said.
“It is obviously a location that is absolutely 10 out of 10. The house had a personality,” he added.
“It had been let go but the buyers saw value in the location and the land, Mr Begg clarified.
“And interestingly, it was all local interest – families looking to build their home that they’re going to live in and bring their kids up.”
The buyers will renovate or detonate.
The front lounge has a bay window and high ceilings.
The property last sold for $32,000 in 1979.
The unoccupied home has fallen into disrepair in recent times and was being sold with some rooms stripped back to stud walls.
The chance to secure a 873sq m block in such a premium street had sparked buyers’ imaginations ahead of one of the first successful auctions in Geelong where the vendor’s reserve was disclosed.
“All were families, all were looking to redevelop the site to turn it into the family home,” Mr Begg described the competition for the home.
The house has not been updated for decades.
Local families made up the groups considering the renovation project.
“We’ve had sales in the street of over $3m so for somebody to go in there and spend the appropriate amount of money to build their home, they’re not going to have to overcapitalise there.”
While the house two doors up the street sold for $2.25m in April , the street record is a $3.2m Californian bungalow with a similar history to the most recent sale.
In that case, the vendors of 33 Bostock Ave turned the unrenovated Californian bungalow purchased for $1.54m into a luxury five-bedroom house with a swimming pool and studio apartment above a rear garage.
The suburb’s record price is $3.25m for newly-built residence in nearby Purrumbete Ave that sold in 2022.
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