Stellar renovation to Geelong West home finds buyer after a year

The four-bedroom house at 180 Autumn St, Geelong West has sold to a local buyer.

Buyers have emerged for one of Geelong West’s earliest homesteads, almost a year after the much vaunted high-end makeover was revealed to the market.

Homewood, a double-brick beauty which has stood at 180 Autumn St since 1864 became pride of the neighbourhood once more after the 2024 grand reveal of the first-class transformation.

But price expectations for the now four-bedroom, three-bathroom home proved a sticking point, with three agents taking over the campaign before a new owner was eventually found last week.

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Whitford, Newtown agent Dale Whitford said he couldn’t disclose the price from the confidential sale.

But price hopes were whittled down from a $1.999m to $2.19m guide when the property was originally taken to auction last September to reach a final range of $1.6m to $1.69m last week.

Mr Whitford said the spark that lit buyers interest showed how price sensitive the higher end of the property market still was.

“On Saturday morning we had seven groups through, three of which made offers,” he said.

The vendors were going for volume in the rear extension.

The kitchen has a 4.2m island bench.

“What it highlights really is the price sensitivity off the marketplace. If they see fair value, people are coming forward and they’re being active and making offers.

“But if it’s $100,000 overpriced, they just leave it alone.”

Mr Whitford said the buyers had made an earlier offer on the property.

“The renovation is terrific – the addition is very, very dramatic. Stunning,” Mr Whitford said.

“But there’s some finishing to do. The rear garden, carparking, a pool. Whatever you want to do.

“It’s a nice big block of land, it’s got a setback off the street a fair way, so it’s got quite beautiful street appeal.

The new back deck catches all the northern sunlight.

Peer down through the hatch to the original cellar below.

Two of the front bedrooms have period fireplaces.

“It’s a really impressive home for a smaller family, or a downsizer.”

Behind the restored heritage facade, a rear extension delivers a cracking contemporary living space that connects the house to the prized north-facing back yard.

But with features such as a custom glass hatch into the original wine cellar below shows the home’s heritage is far from forgotten.

The vendors commissioned a custom fabricated steel frame with special thickened glass to make a feature of the cellar.

The home’s original footprint, which retains the classic slate roof, accommodates four bedrooms, two of which have ensuite bathrooms.

An internal courtyard sits between the main bedroom suite and the rear extension.

The central bathroom has a freestanding tub.

The new open-plan kitchen, dining and living room is a light-filled revelation.

Set under high cathedral ceilings, it showcases feature windows that seem to stretch skywards, elegant herringbone timber floors and oversized glass sliding doors onto a rear deck.

The highlight is the 4.2m island kitchen bench topped with calacatta stone that’s paired with navy toned cabinetry for a classic finish.

The 825sq m property has off-street parking for two cars, via a rear lane, but there is scope to add a triple garage alongside the studio.

A deep setback also provides play space in the front yard under the shade of Norfolk Island pine that was planted in 1915 to celebrate the marriage of former resident Elsie, who was born in the house, and Harold Smith, who later died in World War I.

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