The top end of the Illawarra's property market seemingly remains strong, with a home at 2 Weaver Terrace, Bulli sold under the hammer for $3,600,000. The agents claim this sets a new suburb record for a house in Bulli and is the highest sale under the hammer for the Illawarra in 2017 so far.  It tops other recent $3 million-plus sales in the region, such as a Coledale beachfront home selling for more than $3 million, and a real estate “record” being set for Port Kembla with a prestige home selling for $3,200,000 in early April.  The property at 2 Weaver Terrace is a five-bed waterfront home bordered to the north, east and south by recreational parklands. It is set upon a 601sqm parcel equidistant to Sandon Point and McCauley's Beach. It sold at auction last Friday night to an interstate buyer looking to relocate to the region to be closer to family. Jeremy Hodder, principal at Belle Property Wollongong and Amanda Moore of Belle Property Thirroul were the selling agents. “The property was absolute beachfront, with unrestricted ocean to escarpment views," Mr Hodder said. “That particular street is one of the rare beachfront properties where literally you can walk across the park on to the beach.” He said there was plenty of interest in this property from Sydney and beyond, due to being located within a one-hour commute to Sydney. Another significant sale was recorded in Bulli in 2015; 5 Garaban Ct selling for $3,175,000. Darren Kay, principal at Belle Property Wollongong said the top end of the market remained strong. They sold properties for $2.05m in Mount Kembla, $1.625m in Mount Keira and $1.53m in Mangerton at last Friday's auction night.  Although not under the hammer on that night, he said they also sold a property in the Edgewood Estate, Woonona for $1.83 million. Regarding “the top end at present”, Mr Kay said market forces are pushing people south from Sydney.  “Although $3.6 million might sound like an amazing sale in the Wollongong region, there are small, inner city dwellings in the Sydney metropolitan area on small parcels of land selling for two to three million. “So it’s actually not bad buying down here. It's perceived as good value for them. People who are being squeezed out of Sydney, they're looking for easy access to the city and on the beachside.” Offered to the market for the first time in 60 years, a Coledale beachfront home sold for more than $3 million earlier this year. According to Australian Property Monitors, 1 Cater Street, Coledale sold for $3,410,000. Waterfront properties featured heavily in the Domain Group’s Top Selling Illawarra Properties of 2016 list, the highest a 1970s brown brick cliff-top house in Wombarra for $3,500,000. Second was a beachside penthouse on Cliff Road in Wollongong, selling for $2,775,000. Do you have an interesting real estate story? E-mail brendan.crabb@fairfaxmedia.com.au. 
