Movie buff Fudge Rafiq’s custom-built home at 16 Ember Cres, Rowville, passed in at auction for $2.1m.
Movie buff Fudge Rafiq’s meticulously planned Rowville dream home passed in at $2.1m after buyers refused to meet the owners’ expectations.
The five-bedroom residence at 16 Ember Cres reached the midpoint of its $2m to $2.2m price guide before failing to sell under the hammer on Saturday.
Mr Rafiq said the 18-month-old house had been several years in the making and was the second home his family had built.
RELATED: TikTok buyer’s brutal first-home reality exposed
Carlifts and biometric entry: Inside $20m Melb penthouses
Allan slammed over law banning quick sale
“This was our second home that we built, and we wanted to make sure that we had everything covered and tried not to miss anything in terms of our must-haves,” Mr Rafiq said.
“When we first built, there was a lot of, ‘We should have done this and we should have done that’, but it was very hard or costly to do those things afterwards.
“We wanted to make sure that we got everything right during this build.”
The main bedroom includes two spacious dressing rooms, giving the owners separate storage zones within the private suite.
The stone kitchen features integrated Miele appliances, gas and induction cooktops, two ovens and a large butler’s pantry.
Mr Rafiq said the family continued refining its plans during construction when better ideas emerged or changes could make the home more practical.
His priority was a four-metre by six-metre soundproof cinema with a raised seating platform.
“I’m a big movie buff, so I love my movies, and I always said that my next home had to have a home cinema,” he said.
“A lot of times when you’re in there, it really feels like you’re in a theatre.
“Being able to come in and watch a movie and have that feeling as though you’re going to the cinemas was really important.”
A substantial waterfall island anchors the kitchen, providing extra preparation space, storage and seating for casual meals.
A timber and glass staircase rises beneath the home’s dramatic ceiling void to connect its two expansive levels.
The custom Bankside home also has 3m ceilings across most of its ground floor, wide-plank engineered timber flooring, a home office, separate living room and family zone with a gas log fireplace.
Its stone kitchen features a large waterfall island, floor-to-ceiling cabinetry, butler’s pantry, gas and induction cooktops, two ovens and integrated Miele appliances.
Triple sliding doors connect the main living area with a covered outdoor kitchen and entertaining zone.
The main living zone includes wide-plank engineered timber flooring and a gas log fireplace overlooking the outdoor entertaining area.
Each of the four upstairs bedrooms has a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite, while the main suite includes two dressing rooms and a spa bath.
Other features include triple-glazed windows and doors, eight-zone heating and refrigerated cooling, a six-camera security system and app-controlled driveway gate and garage access.
Mr Rafiq said the family wanted to remain in Rowville, where their son attended school, and would consider another build on a smaller scale.
LOCI Real Estate agent Dylan Hare said buyer caution and uncertainty around proposed property reforms had contributed to the $2.1m pass-in.
LOCI Real Estate agent Dylan Hare said buyers had been reluctant to commit at the price initially sought by the owners.
“It passed in at $2.1m, and the buyers were reluctant to make a commitment at the level the owners initially wanted,” Mr Hare said.
“There is a lot of interruption and uncertainty coming into the market.
“We have been saying to clients that you have the footy finals, followed closely by the state election, and that can cause people to sit on their hands.
“Buyers become cautious because they are unsure what is around the corner.”
16 Ember Crescent, Rowville – for herald sun real estate
16 Ember Crescent, Rowville – for herald sun real estate
Mr Hare said discussion about the possible publication of auction reserve prices had created another reason for buyers to pause.
“We have also now got the conversation around the possible publication of reserve prices,” he said.
“Every time another layer of uncertainty or regulation is introduced, it gives people another reason to pause.”
The reserve price changes remain proposed Victorian reforms and have not become law.
16 Ember Crescent, Rowville – for herald sun real estate
Mr Hare said government intervention intended to improve transparency could instead make property transactions more complicated.
“My concern is that every time the government meddles with the property market, it risks making things more complicated,” he said.
“The intention might be good, but regulations can often create unintended consequences.
“We have seen it with statements of information and other reforms. Rules designed to increase transparency can sometimes encourage people to find new ways around them, rather than delivering a better outcome for buyers or sellers.”
The four-metre by six-metre soundproof cinema features a raised seating platform designed to recreate the experience of a commercial theatre.
He said adding further regulation risked making the process slower, more confusing and more difficult.
“Real estate is a good example of how every so-called smart idea can create another problem, and then another rule is introduced to fix the problem caused by the previous one,” Mr Hare said.
Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox.
MORE: Photos expose secret Block bombshell move
Revealed: Block 2026 top secret plans
695 Aussies trapped in $16.5m nightmare
david.bonaddio@news.com.au
English (US) · 