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Plumber to the stars Justin McInerney sold 16 Hotham Street, Moonee Ponds.
PLUMBER to the stars Justin McInerney and his wife Melissa sold their Moonee Ponds home in an “out of control” auction.
Mr McInerney plies his trade among elite footballers, including former Melbourne Football Club captain James McDonald and Carlton’s Matthew Kennedy.
It’s a connection he has built on from his former AFL umpire brother Shane McInerney. He is also a regular on The Block.
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The 16 Hotham Street home he and wife Melissa sold is the same one where Mr McInerney ripped out his own kitchen sink to provide it for the penthouse of The Block’s Gatwick Hotel.
“Short-term, I replaced our sink with a bucket,” Mr McInerney said. “But we got the same type of sink back in as we sent to the Gatwick, though it took about two months. And it was well worth it.”
The home’s kitchen sink has been replaced after its televised departure.
The backyard is all set for outdoor entertaining.
Mr McInerney will be back on The Block this year and has worked on three earlier seasons including the Oslow Hotel, St Kilda, and Regent Street, Elsternwick.
The pair have sunk the past few years into a wider update for their Moonee Ponds home.
“We’ve done a lot of hard work to get this place over the line, but I reckon we hit the market right at the sweet spot,” he said. “It was the ugly duckling in the street, but it now packs a big punch.”
The pair have retained period details in the home’s front rooms.
The rear of the home is much more modern and provides an attractive space to entertain.
Five bidders yesterday agreed, opening the auction at $1.35m and quickly pushing it past the $1.45m reserve.
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Bidding continued until a couple from the Richmond area claimed the keys at $1.62m.
They had been looking unsuccessfully on the eastern side of the city for several months before heading north.
Brad Teal’s David Thiessen said the auction “just went out of control” with a mix of homeowners and buyers advocates jousting for the title.
The bathrooms were also, naturally, a highlight.
As the first auction day with a full four weeks of advertising ahead of it for the year, Mr Thiessen said it was a “good gauge” of demand.
“It’s probably slim pickings out there at the moment, but good properties will get scooped up,” Mr Thiessen said.
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