A modest three-bedroom cottage in Zillmere that hadn’t changed hands in more than 50 years drew a crowd of nearly 30 bidders last week, selling at auction for $1.12 million — a result that surprised even the selling agent.
The home at 65 Coxen Street was a deceased estate listed as a charity auction. Its late owner, known to have been passionate about animals, left instructions for the proceeds to be split evenly between the RSPCA and the Cancer Council. The property had been in the same family since 1974.
Fourteen buyers registered the evening before the auction, with a further 14 walking in on the day. Bidding opened at $600,000 and climbed in $100,000 jumps to reach $1 million, with barely half the field active at that point. The property was called on the market at $1,050,000, and four buyers remained in contention. From there, the competition tightened to $5,000 increments before the hammer came down just 13 minutes after the auction began.
A developer from South Australia ultimately secured the property, edging out a field that included first-home buyers and investors.
Angela Duncan of Ray White Nundah, who handled the sale, said the turnout had exceeded expectations. She described the buyer mix as unusually varied, noting that many had come in thinking the property would sell cheaply given its condition and age. The result, she said, was consistent with what she has been seeing across the local market more broadly — prices continuing to climb month on month, in a way that echoes the frantic conditions of the COVID property boom.
The Zillmere result is part of a wider pattern of older, unrenovated homes in Brisbane’s northern suburbs punching well above what many buyers anticipate. The suburb’s median house price currently sits at $930,000.
Published 26-February-2026
