Stephen Jackson has sold a three-bedroom house at 51 Marsden Road, West Ryde for $1.23 million at auction, after advising the vendors to reject a pre-auction offer and wait for competition day.
The transparent strategy that built trust on both sides
Stephen knew the three-bedroom house at 51 Marsden Road, West Ryde wouldn’t suit every buyer. It sat on a half block of land with no real backyard — a challenge in a market where families often want space.
But Stephen saw an opportunity: first home buyers who wanted the house without the land tax that comes with a big block.
The advertising focused on what the property had: three bedrooms, a fully fenced front yard, and a north-facing deck. Stephen pushed the campaign through realestate.com.au and Domain, but the strongest inquiry came from paid Facebook ads.
“We used a cut-down version of the ad we used in Domain and realestate.com.au, and we provided a link so that they could see the full webpage for the property with all the information,” Stephen said.
When buyers inquired, Stephen sent them a comprehensive information pack that included the same set of comparable sales he’d given the vendors. Both sides were looking at the same data.
“It made buyers a little bit more confident of what we were saying, and the sellers felt more comfortable around that,” Stephen said.
“They were happy to accept wherever the market came in at. It was helping the buyers see the value and recognising that we weren’t trying to underpitch it.”
The auction advice that netted 7–8% more
The vendors – an older couple who valued integrity and transparency – received a pre-auction offer they were willing to accept. Stephen suggested they wait for auction day. They agreed, and the decision paid off. The auction delivered roughly 7–8% more than the pre-auction figure.
Stephen’s final price guide of $1.1–$1.2 million proved accurate. The property sold for $1.23 million — just $30,000 above the top of the range, after one or two bids over the guide.
Two local families and 20 bids
Three buyers registered for the auction, but two were the serious contenders – both local young couples with one child each, both with family nearby. That family support was important to both of them, and Stephen knew the property would suit their needs.
“They were stressed. There wasn’t any getting around that,” Stephen said.
“But they knew that this was the property for them, and they had family nearby, which meant that if they bought it, they’d have a lot of family support nearby, and that was important to both of them.”
The auctioneer let buyers set the pace, bidding in increments they felt safe with. Instead of competing against the auctioneer, they competed against each other. The auction ran to approximately 20 bids.
A family-friendly pocket close to everything
West Ryde is an established family suburb within Ryde City, with access to West Ryde Station, Victoria Road bus services, local schools and the Meadowbank education and recreation precinct.
The suburb offers a mix of detached homes, shopping areas and parks, with recent three-bedroom house sales in the area reflecting a median around $2.0–$2.05 million.
What this means for West Ryde sellers
Stephen’s advice for other property owners in West Ryde is clear: the market isn’t easy, but there are still buyers who want homes and can get finance. The key is targeting the right buyer profile and managing the process with integrity and transparency.
“Providing you target the right buyer profile for your property, you will find people who want to buy,” Stephen said.
“Then if we manage that process correctly so that it has integrity and some transparency, those buyers will generally carry through to auction day.”
About the Agent
Stephen Jackson keeps sellers informed at every step and answers questions openly. Past clients say he gave professional advice, organised tradespeople, offered competitive pricing and kept them updated throughout the process. One vendor described Stephen’s approach as calm, transparent and professional, and was pleased with a rapid sale. Stephen is a director and the Licensee in Charge with Jackson Rowe, a City of Ryde agency founded in 1957 that helps clients buy, sell, rent and manage property across suburbs including West Ryde, Ryde and Gladesville. Visit Stephen’s website for more information or call Stephen on 0417211330.