A five-bedroom house in Amaroo has broken suburb price records, selling prior to auction for $1.67 million to a pair of Canberra locals who had only viewed the property online.
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It surpassed the previous record sale, which was $1.4 million for a five-bedroom home on the same street that sold in 2017.
Sitting on a 791-square-metre block in a prime location overlooking Yerrabi Pond, 55 Diamond Street, Amaroo has almost doubled in price since it last sold in 2014 for $885,000.
The sellers, Amit and Promila Pratap, never had an opportunity to live in the house - despite their best intentions - and leased it to multiple tenants over the years instead.
"We bought it for our family, but as luck would have it we also ended up getting a plot [of land] almost immediately after it and we had the stress of building a house," said Mr Pratap.
"We always dreamt that we'd [move] there but that didn't happen because it took us a couple of years to slowly build the house - but otherwise we would have moved to Amaroo, no doubts."
On their agent's advice, Mr and Ms Pratap spent about $50,000 on renovations prior to listing the home, including updates to the kitchen, bathrooms and flooring.
Mr Pratap said the renovations made a "huge difference in attracting the target buyer".
The house was on the market for more than a month, initially with a price guide of $1.45 million to $1.5 million, according to selling agent Maria Selleck of Maria Selleck Properties.
There were seven serious buyers ready to bid on the house, however a couple put in the successful offer before it went to auction.
Due to restrictions on property inspections, which were recently eased, the couple never got a chance to see the house in person, instead they relied on photos and videos.
Ms Selleck, who was also the selling agent for the previous Amaroo record sale, described the home as "resort style", complete with several living and entertaining spaces, a heated pool and a self-contained guest bedroom.
"Because it's right across the street from the pond, you've got the reserve as well, so you can go running, you can go walking and take the dog," said Ms Selleck.
"It's the ideal house to have when you are in a lockdown, because you don't need anything else, you've got everything with you."
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According to CoreLogic data, the median sale price of houses in the Amaroo area is currently $773,000.
Mr Pratap said Amaroo is particularly appealing for its natural surroundings, as well as its infrastructure, such as a shopping complex and a reputable school.
"If you want to raise a family, especially young families, or if you are seniors and want a place which is calm, quiet and has got beautiful surroundings ... Amaroo is the place," he said.
"You have got essentially everything you need for life without the stress of living in a small apartment. I think that is what the charm of the place is."
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