The Middle Cove house sold for $1,900,500.

A CHATSWOOD family scooped up a tightly-held house in the waterside suburb of Middle Cove for less than $2 million.

The four-bedroom, detached house at 237 Eastern Valley Way sold under the hammer for $1,900,500. The median house price in Middle Cove is $2,202,500.

The elevated 600 sqm property was on the market for the first time in almost two decades.

It has views of the surrounding district.

It had an initial price guide of $1.65 million, but this was later adjusted up to $1.7 million to $1.75 million due to strong interest.

The house has been the long-time family home of Wendy Foster, who will be downsizing. She paid $465,000 for the property in 1998, CoreLogic records show.

It was the district views from the rear deck which captivated the buyers, as well as the price point and size of the house. They plan to reconfigure the home, which currently allows for dual occupancy, and move in.

More than 20 people gathered to watch as four of the seven registered bidders competed for the home in a heated auction, which started at $1.7 million.

All of the interested buyers were young families, with most from the local area. Some came from the eastern suburbs and northern beaches.

McConnell Bourn selling agents Daniel Cakmak and Steve Cakmak brought more than 90 groups through the home and handed out 18 contracts.

“(There’s) not much turnover around there, it’s a small pocket,” Daniel Cakmak said.

“You cross the road and you’re in Willoughby, so it was attracting a lot of people trying to get into the Willoughby slash Middle Cove market.”