If last night's NSWRA (Reconstruction Authority) buyback auction was anything to go by, Lismore and the Northern Rivers still have a strong appetite for purchasing flood-damaged properties.

Ten houses went under the hammer at 6pm at the Lismore Heights Sports Club, with 27 registered bidders eagerly trying to pay as little as they can for the buyback houses.

All ten houses were in the Lismore CBD or North Lismore, as First National Real Estate took over from PRD for this round.

Wilson Cregan was the auctioneer for the night. He explained to prospective buyers that they had 12 months to move their purchase after the contract date, and the deposit was 50% of the sale price, up to $1,000. During the first two nights, some houses were sold for $300.

(More registered buyers were at the back of the room, too)

The NSWRA didn't have to worry about deposits from new owners being under $1,000 because all ten houses sold, and the lowest price accepted was $12,000.

The first five houses were on Magellan Street and ranged from 2 bedroom/1 bathroom to 4 bedrooms/2 bathrooms, all had 9 to 10-foot-high ceilings, and some were partially renovated.

The first opening bid was $100, before it quickly moved into the thousands, ending at $35,000. 185 Magellan Street fetched the highest price at $43,000.

A house on Laurel Avenue sold for $12,000, before the action moved to Simmons Street, North Lismore (just before Aussie Digger on Bridge Street). The highest price of the night was from the auction of 12 Simmons Street. This 3-bedroom/1-bathroom house featured decorated 10-foot ceilings, stained glass windows, timber floorboards and even an old combustion stove. A house from Lismore's past. It sold for $77,000.

(12 Simmons Street, North Lismore, sold for the highest auction price last night)

At the end of the night, the NSWRA made $357,500 from the ten auctions.

Once again, there was an array of buyers in the room and on the phone. There were recognisable faces from the night one trying their luck again, or looking to add to their portfolio of houses purchased three weeks ago. Investors, builders, young buyers, older buyers, and rural landholders looking to add another house or two on their land for their children are all reasons why the auction room was full on the night.

The NSWRA will announce the next batch of houses to go under the hammer in the coming weeks. The Lismore App understands the location will be in the Tweed Heads LGA.

For people looking to buy locally, there will be more buyback houses available for sale in the coming months.

For those worried about land availability in the Lismore LGA, the Southern Cross University 400 block site has been purchased by the NSWRA. An official announcement is imminent. As there are only three Resilient Land sites in the Lismore LGA, surely there will be an allocation for buyback houses to be moved.