The interstate buyers were among three families who battled for the four-bedroom house at 188 Centre Dandenong Road (pictured above and below) on December 2, according to Barry Plant Mentone-Cheltenham agent Kylie Sirianni.

Multiple bids pushed the price well beyond the reserve of $1.1 million to a whopping $1.217 result, she said.

“The buyers were relocating from Perth,” Ms Sirianni said.

“They loved the renovated property that features a beautiful chef’s kitchen.”

The new kitchen boasts an imported French ceramic sink, handmade Spanish tiles, a large induction cooktop, two Asko pyrolytic ovens, and imported Italian granite benchtops.

The ideal family home also offers a flexible floorplan that includes three to four bedrooms and a garage converted into a multi-purpose room.

The sellers, who bought the property about nine years ago, planned to move to a property two streets away, which was larger and accommodated their home business, according to Ms Sirianni.

Ms Sirianni said there was strong demand from buyers keen to secure a property before Christmas, with some properties selling before auction.

Scheduled to go under the hammer in mid-December, a two-bedroom street-facing townhouse at 2B Jean Street, Cheltenham, sold before auction for $845,000.

“A mother bought the home for her daughter to live in,” Ms Sirianni said.

The buyer paid beyond the $760,000-$825,000 advertised price range.

An investment property for the sellers, the property was placed on the market because of interest rate rises and land taxes, Ms Sirianni added.

In Chelsea, a one-bedroom unit at 4/51 Blantyre Ave, sold on December 2 to a first-home buyer for $420,500, according to Barry Plant Chelsea-Mordialloc agent Sam Gotzilianis.

“The young man had been hunting for his first home for nearly five months and was over the moon with his purchase,” he said.

The seller was a young gentleman who bought the unit about ten years ago, lived there for the first year, and then rented it out.

Mr Gotzilianis said the area offered a range of units and townhouses, which met the needs of entry-level buyers.

“There is a good supply of these homes, priced from the low to mid $400,000s, to suit first-home buyers, young professionals, downsizers and investors,” he said.

The team at the Barry Plant Chelsea/Mordialloc/Dingley Village/Mentone/ Cheltenham group expects a strong finish to the year and a surge of new listings in the new year.

“November was an excellent month for us,” Mr Gotzilianis said.

“We sold about 40 properties and achieved a 93 per cent clearance rate.”

He pointed to the standout sale of the stunning four-bedroom townhouse at 179 Beach Road, Parkdale.