ANNANDALE · OPEN HOME
37 Rose Street, Annandale
Five years of walking past, and now the photoshoot email arrived.
Walkthrough update — 13 October 2026
After sleeping through the first off-market open home on 3 October at the ungodly hour of 9am over the Labour Day long weekend, I contemplated contacting the agent for a walkthrough. Then I thought better of it. Yeah, too much work. Luckily, I didn’t have to. Late on Friday, I saw the listing appear on REA with an opening time of 11:30am on Saturday 10 October.
There’s something about being the first one at an open home that I hate. Probably having to make small talk with the agent as they pry into every detail of your life, searching for more than a sale and what feels like the meaning of life.
“Where are you based currently? What are you looking for? How long have you been looking? What’s your price range? What other areas are you looking at?”
Sorry, I just want to have a quick look.
A part of me wants to say, “Frankly, my dear, I’m just here for the house, not the Spanish Inquisition.” I time my arrival for about 10 minutes after the opening, look for a crowd and follow suit. Give my name, make my entrance swiftly and avoid eye contact with the agent. Maybe a little rude, but necessary.
As I parked on View Street, I could see a queue forming outside 37 Rose Street. More interestingly, the house already looked filled to the brim. When I walked in, the agent was deep in conversation with a couple, and I could hear the questions I was avoiding being hurled at them, one after another.
The front room was used as an entrance sitting area. A couple of steps up brought me to the dining room, with a large table for eight, then the kitchen at the back. The listing photos made it seem much bigger than it was. I don’t think it was just the sheer volume of people that made it feel tight; it was also the layout itself.
Standing at the dining table, I was confronted with stairs leading upstairs or downstairs. I chose downstairs first. A large stairway led to the lounge room, with a bathroom/laundry also on this level. The lounge flowed onto a small, clean courtyard, with access to a shared pedestrian pathway.
I overheard someone in a group of three asking whether they could extend out and block the pedestrian access. I love overhearing strange questions. It also made me think he was keen on the property and already imagining himself living there.
After navigating my way past what felt like 25 groups, I made my way upstairs, where there were two bedrooms and another bathroom. I liked the feel of the house on this floor. It felt private, with ample bedroom space. The top-floor landing was made of clear glass, allowing natural light to flow down through the house. A nice touch, but I could hear myself asking: how will I keep this clean?
Overall, I liked the open-plan living. It felt designed for a small family that enjoys spending time together. Although the renovation was completed a while ago, everything appeared to have held up well, with nothing obvious suggesting it needed a refresh.
So what’s the catch, I hear you ask?
With roughly 105m² of internal space spread over three levels, it still felt tight. The lower-ground room was marketed as either a living room or a bedroom, but using it as a bedroom didn’t make much sense to me. The only way to access the courtyard from inside was through that room. Making it a bedroom would also reduce the shared living space, which already felt rather tight on the entry level.
I struggled to see where you would work if you needed to work from home. Maybe at the large dining table, but I couldn’t see that being particularly productive with family life happening around you.
Lastly, the kitchen felt incredibly tight, with very little storage. To me, it’s not a kitchen for someone who loves cooking or has a collection of kitchen appliances.
LET’S TALK NUMBERS AGAIN
I know I got a few things wrong already. I got the listing agents wrong, and my predicted listing guide was way off. The actual guide is $2M, which I find interesting given that the property last sold almost six years ago, in December 2020, for $1.9M.
I still suspect the guide could move closer to my original prediction of $2.3M. The inspection was busy — I reckon I saw more than 25 groups — and some of the questions suggested genuine interest. Of course, neighbourhood curiosity and people imagining an extension aren’t the same as buyers ready to bid.
The guide’s proximity to the previous sale price caught my attention, although that alone doesn’t tell us what the home is worth today. What I do think works in its favour is that it’s fully renovated and ready to move into. The renovation may be a few years old, but from what I saw, it has held up well.
Do I still stand by my original $2.5M–$2.7M guesstimate? After seeing the size in person, I would revise it down to around $2.4M. I think there’s value here for the right buyer, but the space puts a limit on my estimate.
That would leave a $400,000 gap between the current guide and my revised guesstimate — a sizeable gap. My impression is that the lower guide is intended to draw a larger pool of buyers. If attendance was the aim, the first listed Saturday opening certainly drew a crowd.
Now we wait to see how much of that curiosity turns into bidding.
ANNANDALE · BEFORE THE LISTING
30 September 2026
At the intersection of Rose Street and View Street lies a charming house that I have been walking past for the last 5 years, ever since I incorporated a daily walking routine into my schedule since Covid. It is arguably the best house along Rose Street before you hit Trafalgar Street, and on many occasions the owners have left the door wide open for wandering eyes like mine to look inside and admire the lovely renovation for 2-3 seconds at a time. Not nearly enough time, really, but what I saw during those fleeting moments was a beautiful kitchen filled with family and laughter around the kitchen island. I long to see the inside of this one and wondered if it would ever hit the market.
To my surprise, I saw the address appear in my inbox, titled “photoshoot coming up.” This was the moment all recovering walk-through addicts like myself have been waiting for. The house I have been snooping and admiring from the outside will be listed soon. Now we wait — but first, let’s find out what will be on offer once the listing goes up.
OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR
One of the things I love about this part of Annandale is how close you are to shops and restaurants at Tramshed. From Rose Street, I can wander down, grab a coffee, do some grocery shopping or go for nice Foreshore walk and if time permit wander all the way to the new Fish Market. Messina, Garcon, Pet-O, Supermart — there’s enough going on that I never really to plan. I just head towards the Tramshed and see where I end up.
Inner West Local
Domain.com.au is probably my favourite site to do some research. Here are a few tips for those not familiar: Domain provides you with not only sale price history but also the street report, listing out sale history for the street as well. You get to know who in that street sold, when, and how much. Super useful information. 37 Rose Street, Annandale, is a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom double storey terrace, last sold in December 2020 for $1.9M — and the interesting thing is just 8 months prior, in April 2020, it sold for $1.65M. So in a relatively short amount of time, and during Covid, prices climbed by $250,000.
The previous floor plan shows that the living space is at entry level. As you walk into the house there is the living room, dining, and kitchen flowing out onto the alfresco area — a lovely set-up. The lower ground floor houses a large toilet and laundry, along with either a 3rd bedroom or lounge area, plus a patio and outdoor lawn. The upper level houses 2 generous bedrooms with built-in robes and a large bathroom. From the photos, it looks like the renovation was incredibly well executed, with finishes looking very high-end. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the inside of this open home.
The thing I would be mindful of is whether the renovation has withstood 6+ years of family life. Is it dated and worn, and does it require another round of renovation to refresh the finishes? From what I have seen walking past, this is a house that has been lovingly taken care of by the current owners, so I don’t think this will be the case. What I would be more concerned about is whether the black and white industrial stairs and styling have withstood the test of time.
Let’s talk numbers. This is an interesting one — while I have not been inside the home, I know the area quite well and have attended a number of open homes along the street. The photoshoot email came from BresicWhitney, and as there are 2 prominent agents I know who tend to get the Annandale listings from Bresic, I’m guessing this will be listed with Chris Nunn and Luke Grosvenor. My guess is them because they achieved a great price for 28 Rose Street, across the street and just further up, which sold for $4.44M. I didn’t get to see 28 Rose Street, but it’s on another level, with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 1 car space. I also recall next door to this, at 30 Rose Street — a fully renovated 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom, 1 car space home, which I did get to see, and it sat on the market for a very long time with a guide of $3.4M and never sold. I did get to see 3 other houses along Rose Street: 33 Rose St ($1.65M, unrenovated), 12 Rose St ($2.1M, unrenovated and now completely torn down with a new build underway), and 15 Rose St ($1.98M).
So what am I estimating the price will be for this one, on paper? Based on my research, I’m guesstimating it will land somewhere between $2.5M and $2.7M.
Why? 68 Wells St passed in with the highest bid of $2.565M — architecturally renovated and a great house, but not such great street appeal. Then there’s 25 Nelson St, which sold for $2.7M with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and 1 car, but a rather undesirable floor plan, with 2 of the 4 bedrooms very small. Hence why I’m landing between $2.5M and $2.7M, sight unseen, until I do a proper walkthrough. I’m also predicting the guide will land at $2.3M, to draw interest.
Listing Details:
37 Rose Street, Annandale NSW
Listed with Bresic Whitney – Link here
Initial Guide $2.0M, increased to $2.1M and now guide has been removed
Auction – 7 November 2026
My Predicted Listing Guide – $2.3M (estimated as at 30 September)
My Estimate – $2.5M–$2.7M (sight unseen)
See you at the next Inside Open Home in the Inner West.
KEEP SNOOPING
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