CHIPPENDALE · OPEN HOME
21/57-75 Buckland Street, Chippendale
I recognised that kitchen, then I saw the strata bill
20 October 2026
Update — auction pushed back, now also listed for rent
There’s been another twist in the campaign for 21/57–75 Buckland Street.
The original auction was scheduled for Saturday 10 October at 9:45am. It has since been pushed back two weeks and is now scheduled for Saturday 24 October at 9:00am, with the $2M guide still in place.
At the same time, the apartment is also now listed for rent at $1,950 per week and available immediately.
So both the sale and rental campaigns are currently running at the same time.
I’m curious to see how this one plays out on Saturday — whether it sells under the hammer, passes in, or whether the rental listing becomes the next chapter.
29 September 2026
This apartment caught my eye because I’ve been following an Inner West buyer’s agent for quite some time — she owns this property. I saw her do the 9-month reno reveal, then a week or two later I saw the listing with the same kitchen and thought, hang on a minute, I know that kitchen. And I was right.
Why I wanted to look at this property comes down to a few reasons: 1) Chippendale is really coming into its own — a great spot to live and play, so close to the city; 2) gosh, look at that kitchen in the listing photo, it is gorgeous; and 3) I’m going through a mildly horrific reno myself and needed some relief, and to see what a proper finished product looks like.
The open was at 9am on a Saturday morning. Just a little hint to all the real estate agents out there — why? It’s way too early for a Saturday, and it meant I had to skip my gym session to see this one. To my utter surprise, we found parking really easily. We gave our name and were shown through the foyer and into the lift, level 3 was pressed, and less than a minute later the elevator doors opened. As I walked out onto the landing, I saw a long hallway with ugly blue carpet and door after door.
I walked past people leaving the open home, and what felt like forever later, we made it to the front door. I greeted the real estate agent and told him “I’m here to steal some design ideas,” so I’d be left alone to browse and assess the layout.
First impression — it’s really spacious and nicely laid out. The listing photos didn’t lie. The kitchen was gorgeous, the Calacatta Viola marble engulfing the kitchen really elevated it. There were 3 generous bedrooms, 2 downstairs and one upstairs. The enclosed balcony allows you to sit there no matter the weather. The renovation has been well executed, feels high-end, and nicely done.
Let’s talk about what the listing and photos don’t tell you. What I found odd was that one of the bedrooms directly faced the balcony and kitchen. Not a deal-breaker, but just odd. While I love the use of marble everywhere, especially in the bathrooms, I was a little put off by the vanities used in both — it didn’t feel high-end. The marble next to a “cheaper” looking vanity made it feel like lipstick on a pig, but I’m sure you’ll see past this, as the size of both bathrooms was huge. Other than those small things, which I obviously have issues with and may need therapy for.
There are a few other things I need to spell out. I do love the inside of the apartment, but not so much the outside. The foyer and long corridor give me Twin Peaks vibes. I don’t feel safe outside for some odd reason. I’m not a fan of old hotels turned into apartments, and I hate the thought of having to queue or squish into an elevator that says it can house 12 people, but honestly you can barely breathe when there’s only 3 of you in there.
Let’s talk numbers, because this is where you need to take any rose-coloured glasses off. The guide says $2.0M, which means stamp duty comes in at $92,958, so all in we’re looking at about $2.1M. My thoughts on this are that right now the market is offering a lot of options for this price range, which also includes 2-3 bedroom houses. As I’ve owned and lived in strata apartments previously, I was keen to see how much this was, and found it on the brochure listed at $5,856 pq — that’s $23,424 a year. I almost fell off my imaginary chair. If you are buying into any strata, an absolute non-negotiable is purchasing the strata report and spending an ungodly amount of time understanding what has happened to the building. These are the boring bits that will save you heartache and headache. Buying into a strata means you are a co-owner of the building — the strata fees paid each quarter are not something you can forget, and while you’re not obligated to turn up at strata meetings, it’s one of the ways you get to have your say. For this particular building, you’ll be 1 of 46 owners.
So what is my estimate after all this? I did not purchase the strata report that I’m encouraging people to buy if they’re serious about bidding — your conveyancer or lawyer would suggest it anyway. This is a great apartment — there’s parking, 3 bedrooms, a great location — but it comes with a BUT. There’s the strata fees, ongoing and forever, at $5,856 p.q. — that’s roughly $450 a week, no matter what. This seems astronomically high, and you’ll need to investigate whether there’s a special levy for major remediation, a significant shortfall in the capital works fund, etc. The unsexy due-diligence things we have to do.
So I digress again — my research shows that this property was bought in August 2025 for $1.45M, with the last 3-bedroom unit sold in the building, unit 15, going for $1.86M in October 2025. Has it moved that much with the renovation, or will the large strata fees cause its value to stagnate? We can only guess, and my guesstimate is $1.95M. At the open home I did see 1-2 serious young buyers making real enquiries. I hope they go into this with open eyes and a good read of the strata report.
Listing Details:
21/57-75 Buckland St, Chippendale NSW
Auction – 10 October 2026
Initial Price Guide – $2.0M
My Estimate – $1.95M
Updated – Auction moved to Sat 24 Oct at 9:00am
See you at the next Inside Open Home in the Inner West.
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