- REMAX NZ chairman Don Ha sold his St Heliers villa for over $10m to Heliers Holding Limited.
- He bought the historic property in 2019 for $6.8m, with plans to redevelop it.
- The villa, marketed for its subdivision potential, was sold last year after two months on the market.
Real estate boss Don Ha has sold his Auckland historic villa for just over $10 million, OneRoof can reveal.
Start your property search
The four-bedroom home on Springcombe Road, in St Heliers, was snapped up after just two months on the market.
The new owner is Heliers Holding Limited, the sole director of which is Mala Maharaj, chief executive officer of REMAX New Zealand.
Both Maharaj and Ha, who is chairman of REMAX NZ, declined to comment on the deal.
Ha and his wife, Mohini, bought the colonial-era home in 2019 for $6.8m, intending to demolish it and build something new.
Ha was the listing agent for the Springcombe Road property before he bought it. Photo / Fiona Goodall
The villa sits on more than 3000sqm of prime land in Auckland's St Heliers. Photo / Supplied
They 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, they cancelled the plans, and in September last year, they put the property on the market for sale with a guide price of above the RV of $8.35m. Records show the property was sold in November last year for $10,217,391.
Ha entrusted the sale of Springcombe Road to his brother Zarn Ha and Zarn’s colleague, Aaron Jokhan.
Jokhan told OneRoof in September that Ha was living in the home and had “done some work to it”.
Discover more:
- Money, politics, real estate: Who is Matthew Horncastle and why is he in the headlines?
- Designer who brought glamour to Ōtāhuhu selling his multi-million-dollar pad
- 'It became a bit difficult': Troublesome Grey Lynn home hits the market with $1 reserve
“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 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 property is zoned mixed housing suburban and, according to Jokhan’s listing, offered “multiple subdivision opportunities, subject to council approval”.
The agent said that a registered valuation for the property at the height of the market came in at $15m. “In 2023, Ha got another one done, which came down to $12.5m,” he told OneRoof in September.
The view from the house takes in Rangitoto and the harbour. Photo / Supplied
Ha's agent says the property was valued at $15m at the height of the housing market. Photo / Supplied
Jokhan said he was surprised that there had been no overseas interest in the property, given that the Government had announced at the time it was loosening the foreign buyer ban for properties over $5m.
Ha’s relationship with the home precedes his time as its owner. Before buying the property, Ha had been engaged to sell it. In 2018, his marketing called on buyers to “take full economic advantage of this mammoth-sized property. Develop a row of luxury townhouses or apartment living, or maybe shoot for higher site intensity.”
Maharaj's profile on REMAX New Zealand's website says her “journey alongside Don Ha started in 2004. She progressed from general manager at Don Ha Real Estate to similar roles within REMAX Revolution, eventually assuming the pivotal position of chief operations officer for REMAX New Zealand. In 2024, Mala was appointed CEO of REMAX New Zealand, marking a significant milestone in her career.”
- Click here to find more homes for sale in Auckland
