Crescent Head's Sussman House sale a success for community

The 2 Gowing Street property which was donated to the three clubs by late businessman Eric Sussman in 2009, attracted a large crowd as it went to auction on Saturday, September 2.

Three parties registered for the auction but in the end, the three units were quickly sold to a Gunnedah buyer for $1.51 million.

"It was a negotiation process because we had a couple of buyers not sort of jumping on the bidding," said Elders Crescent Head agent Nathan Wilson who sold the house.

"We ended up negotiating on top of the bidded amount... and we got the end result."

The property had been managed by Sussman Foundation with the Kempsey West, Kempsey and South West Rocks Rotary Clubs as the trustees.

But this year, the charitable foundation decided to put the house up for sale so the property could get the care it needed.

Sussman Foundation spokesperson and Kempsey Rotary Club members Tania Powick said the clubs were happy with the sale.

"We were hoping for somewhere around that price," she said.

"It went backwards and forwards a few times so that was a bit stressful but that's how auctions go."

The house has been responsible for contributing up to $200,000 to the community for over a decade with funds going towards the local PCYC, surf clubs, other charitable foundations and local events such as the national Science and Engineering Challenge.

"I think its a really nice that that the Rotary Clubs...have been working together and will continue to work together to get these great outcomes for the community," Ms Powick said.

"And that's what Rotary is all about.

"We're actually about putting that money into the community so this will help that to continue to happen."

Even after it's sale, the house will continue to help the Macleay Valley.

The funds from the sale will be invested, with the earnings from those investments going back into the community.

"It's very sustainable then too," Ms Powick said.

"It's the regularity of being able to know that you can always distribute a certain amount every year."

"It will be really valuable to some of the local organisations here that we support."

The new owners for the house live over 300 kilometres away but already own another property in Crescent Head.

Mr Wilson said that the buyers of the Sussman House plan to keep the property permanently rented, with the current tenants in the house free to stay.

Ms Powick said she was also happy with the buyer.

"They're lovely, family-orientated folk and they're obviously really keen to do a lot of work to the place to bring it back up to a really great standard," she said.

"So we're really excited to see what they do to it."

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