- Mike Pero is selling a 6538sqm Point Wells section swapped for his Cook Islands home.
- He commissioned luxury-home designs but never intended building there himself.
- Point Wells is attracting Omaha owners seeking larger, quieter permanent homes or holiday properties.
Former real estate boss Mike Pero is selling the Auckland lifestyle block he got after swapping a luxury holiday home in the Cook Islands.
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Pero, whose catchy ads in the 1990s made him a household name, retired from real estate five years ago.
He told OneRoof that he ended up with the 6538sqm section at 256B Point Wells Road, in Rodney, after failing to find a buyer for his multimillion-dollar island home.
Pero: “You couldn’t overcapitalise on that property.” Photo / Fiona Goodall
The large 6538sqm lifestyle section has plenty of room for a luxury home, pool, sauna and tennis court. Photo / Supplied
“I just wanted out, to be blunt. For me ... I’ve been travelling to the Cook Islands for 50 years, and I built a beautiful home up there.
“It’s a beautiful place, but I’m just at a stage of life where I think, OK, I’ve got to get out of this place.”
On the off chance, a business acquaintance mentioned how much he loved the house.
The acquaintance was in the process of subdividing his large Point Wells property into multiple sections and offered to trade him one of the newly created lifestyle sections for the island property.
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Pero agreed and took ownership of the section in May. He then commissioned Christchurch architects O’Neil and Shirley Architecture to draw up some designs for a luxury home – not dissimilar to his own home that he built after the earthquake.
Pero, who is based in Christchurch, never planned to use the site himself and said the designs were to help sell the property.
He said it was a great section with plenty of room for a large home, tennis court and swimming pool and hoped it would go to someone who would use it to its full potential.
Pero traded his $2.4m holiday home in Rarotonga for a lifestyle section in Point Wells. Photo / Supplied
The island home was only six years old and built on family land passed down to Pero. Photo / Supplied
“Obviously I want to sell it, but I’d like to think anyone that does buy it will have a view of building their dream home on it,” he said.
“You couldn’t overcapitalise on that property. So, you know, you’d spend anywhere north of $2m building today. It wouldn’t be hard, you know, like you’re probably looking $4000 per sqm for your build.
“But you’d have a nice home, really nice home. And then by the time you put your 10-car garage on there and your spa, your sauna, your helicopter pad and all that, it’s easy to do.”
There was also a right-of-way leading to the waterfront for people who wanted to launch a kayak or small boat from the property.
Pero has hired Bayleys agent Jodi Sterling to find him a buyer. He admitted that after being a real estate boss for so many years, it had been hard to step back.
However, Pero said he trusted Sterling, who was originally a Mike Pero Real Estate agent. He still had his own views, he said, but he had learnt to “shut up and just listen”.
“I’m probably not the easiest customer. And Jodi [Sterling] will know that. I have my own thoughts and views on how we should do this.”
Meanwhile, Point Wells is fast becoming a popular choice for people in Omaha looking for larger properties with more space and in a quieter location.
Agents previously told OneRoof there was a noticeable trend of Omaha owners selling up and buying in Point Wells. Most of the buyers were from Auckland and were either looking for a permanent residence or a substantial holiday home.
- 256B Point Wells Road, Point Wells, is for sale for $2.125m
