- 20 The Avenue Malvern East
5 beds, 3 cars, Land size: 697sqm
Address: 20 The Avenue, Malvern East
Agents; Danielle Waterton and Ian McLennan
Crowd: 60
Opening Bid: $3,950,000
Passed in: $3,950,000 – sold after over $4,000,000 – undisclosed
Bidderman: 1
The winter auction crowd made the most of the sunshine that peaked out on an otherwise dreary day.
Limited bidder involvement saw post-auction negotiations commence indoors after the Edwardian style new build home drew a single bid.
- 4 Westley Avenue Brighton
“Sounds like I just made a eulogy,” joked auctioneer Bill Stavrakis, after his opening remarks were met with silence. The quip drew a chuckle, but the crowd held firm on the sidelines. Even after a restart following a vendor referral, bidders remained subdued. The property was eventually passed in on a vendor bid.
🌸 Buyers Are Back. Sellers Are Split.
The Market Is Acting—but Still Needs Accuracy.
At Marketnews, we’re continuing to do things differently.
No one off irrelevant snapshots.
No agenda specific to one side
No generic summaries.
Real examples to help you make better decisions on the specific homes you are interested in.
So, how’s the Melbourne market shaping up this Spring?
🔍 Specific Observations, Not Vague Trends
As a general rule, we’re seeing clearer buyer intent compared to this time last year. Buyers are active, prepared to transact, and more willing to compete—if the home and price stack up.
The market is rising ever so slightly.
Take:
✅ 4 Loch Street, Surrey Hills
- Quoted low $2Ms.
- Sold just under $2.65M in a competitive 4-bidder auction—before the scheduled auction.
- Why? It was a really good home. It had value. And the market responded.
Now compare that to:
🚫 108 Victoria Avenue
- A terrace home (traditionally harder to sell) with the added disadvantages of no car park in inner Melbourne, busy street and strong $.
- Despite exposure and positioning, no interest.
- Why? No buyer saw enough value.
The market isn’t irrational. It’s still discerning even though its more active than it was last Spring.
💼 What We’re Seeing as Buy Sell Advocates
Sellers
Higher stress levels.
They’re asking: “Why are some selling and not me?”
The answer: Price.
If you’re not priced to market, you won’t sell.
If you are, the market will act.
Buyers
More urgency than last year.
But still value-driven.
If it doesn’t represent good value, they’re walking.
If it does, they’re acting—fast.
🟢 Summary
This Spring, the Melbourne market has lifted.
Not in emotion.
Not in media.
But in real activity.
What matters more than anything?
👉 Pricing to the market.
👉 Understanding buyer psychology.
👉 Looking beyond sentiment—and into actual results.
- This week passed in - 0 bidders
James Home Rating 582
Price to Market
Red
Buyers didn’t see value at the quoted range.
Lack of competition meant little to no real engagement.
Property
Amber / Red
Character appeal, but with major functional issues.
No car park (big red for inner Melbourne buyers).
Layout and livability questions—didn’t work for families or downsizers.
Limited buyer pool as a result.
Position
Green / Amber
Strong prestige area in Albert Park.
But location couldn’t overcome the functional flaws.
Buyers want both address and usability.
Snapshot
| CATEGORY | RATING | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Red | Over-quoted for the product offered. |
| Property | Red | No car park and functional issues shrank buyer pool. |
| Position | Amber | Good address, but couldn’t compensate for flaws. |
Overall: A clear non-event this spring. Prestige location wasn’t enough—buyers stayed away. Good reminder: if you don’t have value and functionality, you don’t have action.
- This week sold before - 4 bidders
James Home Rating 693
Price to Market
Green
Quoted low $2Ms, sold just under $2.65M.
Well-aligned with market expectations.
Represented strong value for quality and location.
Property
Green
Renovated, well-proportioned family home.
Excellent floorplan, natural light, and flow.
No major red flags (e.g. no heritage constraints, no structural issues).
Ready to move in—minimal buyer doubt.
Position
Green
Quiet residential street.
Good access to schools, transport, and amenities.
Surrey Hills continues to attract quality family buyers.
Snapshot
| CATEGORY | RATING | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Green | Aligned to buyer expectations. Triggered urgency. |
| Property | Green | Functional, attractive, and ready to go. |
| Position | Green | Quality location with long-term upside. |
Overall: One of the clearest examples this spring of what happens when price, property, and position are all in sync.
- Understanding Capital Growth - Short term v Long term
📉 Why Are Some Sellers Getting Their Price So Wrong?
It’s not always greed.
It’s not always agents BS’ing them.
It’s often just old numbers and old logic—in a market that’s quietly but significantly changed between 2015 and 2025.
Let’s unpack it.
Historically, Melbourne’s long-term capital growth averaged around 8%.
And for decades, that was real. That was dependable. That was the science.
But not anymore.
In the last 10 years, capital growth has shifted down—to more like 1% to 4% per annum.
And it’s still trending low.
So when sellers use the old 8% compounding model to price their homes today, it often pushes them into wishful thinking territory.
Especially if they’ve only owned the home for a short time.
💸 Why It’s So Hard to Make Money Quickly
Even if your home’s worth more than when you bought it, the real numbers often don’t stack up once you account for:
- Stamp duty (can be 5–6% upfront)
- Selling costs (agents, advocates, staging)
- Capital gains tax if it’s not a primary residence
- Land tax if it’s an investment
So unless you’ve held the property for a decent amount of time, and/or you’ve significantly added value, short-term profits are rare—even in good markets.
🧭 What’s Changed Structurally?
- Less international money
In 2016, Chinese and overseas Asian investment was driving many Melbourne suburbs—especially in prestige areas.
That money is now virtually gone.
Chinese capital is restricted or penalised, and the Chinese property market itself is no longer a wealth engine. - Buyer priorities have evolved
Many local buyers no longer want to “stretch” to the absolute top of their budget.
Instead, they:- Prefer financial freedom over mortgage stress
- Are happy to compromise slightly on the house
- Want to travel, enjoy life, spend time with family
And honestly?
That’s sensible.
Three of our current clients are selling and buying on the same level.
Not because they have to—because they want to.
They want control, not pressure.
Inflation is lower
🏡 A Tale of Two Homes: 44 Through Rd & 11 Clyde St
Both were really good homes.
Neither was renovated during the hold period within the last 10 years.
- One had ~2% capital growth
- The other ~3%
- And the key variable? Buy-in and sell-out price.
Nothing magic.
Just the basics: Money in vs money out.
Now 11 Clyde Street over a 20 year period still showed a growth rate over 6% but that was 2004 to 2018 close to 8% and 2018 to 2025…3%….44 Through Road not as easy to dissect as a new home was added during the last 20 years – but over the coming weeks we will show you how to work through that.
🟢 So, What Should Buyers and Sellers Do?
- Forget 8%. Base decisions on current decade data.
- Ask: “What did I pay? What’s the cost to sell? Has the property improved?”
- Be value-aware. Buyers are smarter, calmer, and more data-driven than ever.
- Don’t assume you can outsmart stamp duty, land tax, or market cycles in 18 months so as a buyer, buyer for multiple life cycles…. Allow for children and plan for your dream home to be for decades not years…..and understand the cost of renovation is mindboggling expensive and mentally difficult (for most) so buy a floorplan that works in a location that you love.
- Sold before auction up $285,000
- Sold before auction up $600,000
- James Home Ratings for nearly 25 years
The James Home Rating System for Buyers
Three Ps. 1,000 points. A lifetime of difference.
Over the past 25 years, we’ve developed and refined one of Melbourne’s most trusted property assessment tools—
James Home Ratings. Built to bring science, structure, and strategy to high-stakes real estate decisions, it’s quietly helped more buyers and buy/sellers make more money than any other buyer advocate method in the city.
What Is It?
The James Home Rating is a 1,000-point scoring system based on the 3 critical drivers of long-term property value:
- Position – Street, precinct, orientation, land size, walkability, and school zones.
- Property – Building size, flow, floorplan, architecture, renovation quality, potential.
- Price – Relative value based on recent sales, market cycle timing, and agent positioning. Emotions
Each home is scored independently and consistently, based on how it aligns with long-term demand and supply fundamentals—not short-term trends or agent spin against other similar types of homes.
Why It Works – Patterns
Because real estate, at its core, is about human behaviour—and history repeats itself.
Over decades, we’ve tracked what buyers want, what they avoid, and where they pay premiums. Certain homes—especially true A-Graders—attract stronger demand in every market. Others, like C-Graders, only sell well in boom times.
Our 1,000-point system exposes where a home really sits in that cycle. That insight gives you:
- Confidence to buy strong,
- Courage to walk away from trouble, and
- Clarity to align your sell/buy strategy with your life goals.
A, B, C-Grade Homes – Know the Difference
- A-Grade: Always in demand. Rare, proven, and resilient through market shifts.
- B-Grade: Good, but situational. Can work well when bought or sold smartly.
- C-Grade: Riskier. More emotion-driven, often overhyped, and harder to recover value.
The James Home Rating makes these differences clear—before you commit.
What the Scores Mean
Here’s how the James Home Rating benchmarks property quality across inner Melbourne:
- 500 – Maybe ok but it has serious issues to consider
- 600 – Average: Typical for many Inner Melbourne homes
- 700 – Solid: Better than many, with clear buyer appeal
- 750–800 – Above Average: Strong fundamentals, few weaknesses
- 800+ – Exceptional: A-Grade, no obvious dealbreakers, rare and highly sought-after
Why It’s Made Clients Millions
Because clarity beats chaos. Whether you’re buying, selling, or doing both at once, the James Home Rating:
- Finds value others miss
- Exposes flaws hidden beneath polish
- Aligns your decision with long-term truth, not short-term noise
We’ve used it to protect clients, unlock better homes, and negotiate stronger outcomes—time and again for over 25 years – it is patented.
The James Home Rating System for Buy Sellers
Why the James Home Rating Works When You’re Selling
Science, structure, and serious clarity—for stronger decisions and better results.
Selling a home—especially in Melbourne’s inner suburbs—requires more than a good agent and some fresh paint. To get the best price from the best buyer, you first need to know what your home is truly worth, not just what an agent tells you.
That’s where the James Home Rating becomes a game-changer.
It’s Scientific. It’s Strategic. It’s Seller-Smart.
This isn’t guesswork or gut feel. Our 1,000-point scoring system is built around 3 core value pillars:
- Position – Location, street quality, orientation, amenity
- Property – Land size, architecture, layout flow, condition, scope
- Price – Based on real market dynamics and long-term performance
Each home is evaluated across a lot of PPP issues. From traffic noise to natural light, from ceiling heights to buyer emotion triggers—nothing is left out.
Why Sellers Use It
When you’re selling and planning to buy again, clarity is power.
The James Home Rating helps you:
- Understand your true market position before listing
- Avoid underquoting or overhyping, which can backfire
- Strategically align your sell/buy timing to minimise stress
- Pre-empt objections and improve buyer perception
- Back up your price expectations with logic—not hope
It’s not just for buyers—it’s a powerful tool for price-setting, deal-structuring, and agent accountability.
What the Scores Mean
Here’s how the James Home Rating benchmarks property quality across inner Melbourne:
- 500 – Maybe ok but it has serious issues to consider
- 600 – Average: Typical for many Inner Melbourne homes
- 700 – Solid: Better than many, with clear buyer appeal
- 750–800 – Above Average: Strong fundamentals, few weaknesses
- 800+ – Exceptional: A-Grade, no obvious dealbreakers, rare and highly sought-after
Bottom Line
The James Home Rating gives you what emotion and opinion can’t: a scientific, structured, and strategic understanding of your property.
Whether you’re buying, selling, or both, it’s the most powerful way to stay in control, avoid costly mistakes, and walk into every decision with confidence.
Clarity leads to stronger outcomes.
And stronger outcomes lead to better lives.
- Click Address through to Completed James Home Rating
- Bayside Port Phillip
- Stonnington
- Canterbury
- Albert Park
- Glen Iris
- Kew
- We cover a lot of off-markets not up on this site
- Do you have an off-market for any of our James Buyer Advocacy clients?
| PRICE | POSITION | PROPERTY |
| 3.5m | Brighton Church St Precinct | Apartment |
| 5m | Malvern East | Family home double garage |
| 2m | Carnegie to Richmond | Townhouse |
| 3.5m | Camberwell; Canterbury, Kew | New Home |
| 1.5m | Caulfield South Elsternwick Brighton North | 3B/2B/2C Land for dog |
| 7m | Larger block and family home | Bigger yard, will reno |
| 6m | Camberwell Hawthorn | Renovation Value Add up to $2m |
| 3m | Surrey Hills, Canterbury area | Low maintenance, no reno |
| 1.6m | Fitzroy North, Carlton North | First family home |
| 1.5m | Anderson Park Area – Hawthorn | Townhouse for single |
| 7m | Brighton / Brighton East | Bigger land and good home |
| 2m | South Yarra, Prahran | Small home |
| 4.5m | Hawthorn Malvern | Family Home |
| 3m | Kew | Family Home |
| 3.5m | Surrey Hills, Mont Albert Canterbury | Family Home |
If you do great – we can come and have a look. Simone 0400304111 or Mal 0408107988
- Some of the homes we are providing selling advocacy advice and services on this week
Come have a look! Need a Private Inspection call Simone 0400304111 or Mal 0408107988