This Queensland home attracted a crowd of almost 200 people and 21 registered bidders.
A home credited with bringing its owners career success and their son medical school scholarships has sold under the hammer for a record $3.32m amid frenzied bidding.
The Queensland home attracted a crowd of nearly 200 people and 21 registered bidders in what onlookers described as “absolute chaos” when it went to auction over the weekend.
The five-bedroom property at 23 Fenimore St, Wishart was marketed via Place Sunnybank’s selling director Owen Chen, who said the huge crowd filled every inch of the home, spilling onto staircases, balconies and outdoor areas.
23 Fenimore St, Wishart.
A crowd of 200 turned up at the auction of 23 Fenimore St, Wishart.
A crowd of 200 turned up at the auction of 23 Fenimore St, Wishart.
“There was nowhere to stand,” Mr Chen said.
“It was one of those auctions where you could feel it before it even started – the energy, the tension. Then it just exploded.”
At the centre of the frenzy was more than just the home itself, Mr Chen said.
The property had built a reputation as a “feng shui house”, designed around principles believed to attract wealth, career success and academic achievement — a narrative that gained traction throughout the campaign.
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23 Fenimore St, Wishart.
A crowd of 200 turned up at the auction of 23 Fenimore St, Wishart.
The owners said that during their time in the home, their careers flourished, while their son secured full scholarships to three of Australia’s top medical schools.
Mr Chen said that story struck a chord with buyers.
“This wasn’t just a house people were bidding on,” Mr Chen said.
“They were buying into what it represents — success, progression and a better future.”
Bidding opened fast, with 21 registered bidders competing in one of the largest buyer pools seen at a Brisbane auction this year.
23 Fenimore St, Wishart.
A crowd of 200 turned up at the auction of 23 Fenimore St, Wishart.
The hammer eventually fell at $3.32m and set a new residential house record for Wishart.
Records reveal the vendors paid $651,000 for the property in 2015 before knocking down the former house and building a new house three years ago.
Place auctioneer Mark Frater said the scale and intensity of the auction stood out.
“There was a point where it stopped feeling like a typical auction and started feeling like an event,” he said.
“The crowd, the pace, the energy – it just kept building.
“When you’ve got that many buyers engaged, it creates a completely different dynamic.
“People aren’t waiting; they’re reacting, and that’s when prices move quickly.”
23 Fenimore St, Wishart.
The campaign leaned into lifestyle, design and targeted bilingual marketing, particularly within the Chinese buyer community, where the feng shui positioning resonated strongly.
More than 200,000 online views were recorded throughout the campaign, amplifying competition well beyond the local market.
23 Fenimore St, Wishart.
Mr Chen said the sale reflected a broader shift in how premium property was being bought and sold.
“At this level, buyers aren’t purely rational,” he said.
“People would invest premium in their lifestyle and convenience” he said.
“They’re emotional. They’re aspirational. And when a home has a story like this, it changes the way people compete.”
For the sellers, the result marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, as they relocate to Sydney to support their son’s next step.
PropTrack data shows the median house price in Wishart is $1.508m, up 4.8 per cent over 12 months.
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