- REMAX boss Don Ha is selling his historic four-bedroom villa in St Heliers, Auckland, with an RV of $8.35m.
- The property offers multiple subdivision opportunities and has attracted interest from local developers.
- Ha's initial plans to demolish the villa were criticised for not preserving Auckland's heritage buildings.
Real estate boss Don Ha is selling his multi-million-dollar stately home in Auckland's St Heliers.
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The four-bedroom historic villa for sale at 9 Springcombe Road has an RV of $8.35m and sits on a secluded 3038sqm site overlooking the harbour and Rangitoto.
Ha had bought the property with his wife Mohini in 2019 for $6.8m, intending to demolish the colonial-era home and build something new.
Don Ha is looking to buy something more modern once he sells 9 Springcombe Road. Photo / Fiona Goodall
The couple commissioned Sumich Chaplin to design a mansion with five bedrooms, multiple living spaces, an elevator, a circular staircase, a five-car garage, and a rooftop pool.
However, the couple ditched the plans and kept the villa, with Ha telling the Herald on Sunday that it would take three years to complete the new mansion. "By that stage, my children will be grown up, it is a long time to wait," he said.
Ha, chairman of REMAX New Zealand, has now entrusted the sale of Springcombe Road to his brother, Zarn Ha, and Zarn's colleague, Aaron Jokhan.
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Jokhan told OneRoof that Ha was living in the home and had "done some work to it".
"But the kids are now grown up, and the family wants to move into something very modern. They just don't want to wait. Building a high-end home is going to take too long.”
Ha's plans to demolish the historic Springcombe Road home came under fire at the time.
In 2019, the Civic Trust said that the proposal to bulldoze the villa was proof that Auckland Council had failed to preserve heritage buildings in the city.
The villa sits on more than 3000sqm of prime land in Auckland's St Heliers. Photo / Supplied
The view from house takes in Rangitoto and the harbour. Photo / Supplied
Allan Matson, president of the Civic Trust, told OneRoof this week that it was not clear yet whether the council’s Plan Change 120 to allow more intensive development around transport corridors would impact 9 Springcombe Road.
The site is zoned mixed housing suburban and, according to the listing, offers "multiple subdivision opportunities, subject to council approval".
Ha himself was the listing agent in 2018. His marketing at the time called on buyers to "take full economic advantage of this mammoth-sized property. Develop a row of luxury town houses or apartment living, or maybe shoot for higher site intensity".
Ha's agent says they are looking for buyers with more than $8m to spend. Photo / Supplied
Jokhan told OneRoof this week that Ha was looking for a sale price of more than $8m. “The CV on this is $8.35m, so we think it will be above the CV." The agent said that a registered valuation for the property done at the height of the market came in at $15m. "In 2023, Ha got another one done, which came down to $12.5m,” he said.
Jokhan said interest so far had come from local buyers, not international ones. “We've had interest from people who want to do projects - developers. We've had people who want to sell their homes in Remuera and move into here,” he told OneRoof.
He was surprised that there had been no overseas interest, given the Government's recent loosening of the foreign buyer ban for properties over $5m.
Jokhan said some of the potential buyers were looking to “spruce up” the existing home, “as well as maybe turn the tennis court into two or three more dwellings”.
Others were considering replacing it with a single grand new home. “Some are looking at multiple dwellings. Some want to get the existing villa to a very high point. A high-end home.”
Jokhan said the location was exceptional. “This is a lovely spot. The views are amazing - Rangitoto to the Harbour Bridge, it's just so beautiful up there.”
Jokhan revealed that Ha was looking at a few high-end homes to buy. “It all depends what we can get for this one, and then he'll be able to secure something on the other side."
- 9 Springcombe Road, Saint Heliers, Auckland, is for sale, tender closing October 15
