Sydney’s housing market is beginning to stabilise after a record run of price falls.

It was a day of unusual auctions — first an ice cream truck cut through a crowd of buyers bidding on a Darlington terrace and later a child threw a spanner in the works at a Stanmore auction by putting in offers.

An original ‘70s Hawthorn house that’s destined for the wrecking ball has sold half a million dollars above reserve — to a family who already own the property next door.

A GEELONG family was in tears after buying a renovated North Geelong house at auction on Saturday.

Helping family members financially is a no-brainer for many retirees, but the simplicity of that idea stops there.