- An art collector's seven-bedroom mansion in Coatesville sold for $7.75 million to a local buyer.
- The property, spanning 5.2 hectares, includes contemporary New Zealand sculptures and was designed by architect David Ponting.
- Listing agent Nicky White noted increased international interest, especially from Americans, in high-end lifestyle properties.
An art collector's seven-bedroom mansion on Auckland’s northern lifestyle fringe has sold to a local buyer for $7.75 million.
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Listing agent Nicky White, of Precision Real Estate, told OneRoof that the luxury property on Sunnyside Road in Coatesville had also garnered a significant amount of international attention.
“Donald Trump has certainly helped our high-end market. I have had people making the effort to come out and see things here. I have more Americans flying over in their school holidays this month,” she said.
The seven-bedroom home sits on a 5.2ha lifestyle block overlooking a large lake and comes with a super-long outdoor pool and spa. Photo / Supplied
The estate, which was designed as a gallery for the owner's art collection, is spacious, stylish, and comfortable. Photo / Supplied
“If they find the right thing, they'll be spending $20m-plus. They have had very successful businesses in America, and the value for money here is fantastic."
The Sunnyside Road estate, which spans 5.2 hectares, hit the market a year ago, with the vendor telling OneRoof that he was willing to include his collection of contemporary New Zealand sculptures in the sale.
The vendor said he had worked with architect David Ponting, of Ponting Fitzgerald Architects, to create a home centred around the property's water features and artworks.
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The latter includes a David McCracken sculpture set in the reflecting pond and a piece by Gregor Kregar, who made headlines in 2015 for his phallic mesh sculpture at Auckland’s New Lynn railway station.
White said lifestyle properties in her patch were in demand. “These high-end properties are a bit of a niche market, with a mix of Kiwis and locals doing the shuffle to upgrade, as well as some overseas buyers who have their citizenship or residency,” she said, estimating that almost half of her enquiries this year were from overseas buyers.
“The wider world is so unsettled, people are calling and enquiring, and some are coming here to rent for eight to 12 months. There are others who are definitely planning to work through the Overseas Investment Office process to purchase.”
The five-bedroom house for sale on 945 Kahikatea Flat Road, Waitoki, in Rodney, sits on 14.86ha. Photo / Supplied
The agent reckons the bar is one of the best in the district. Photo / Supplied
White had also noticed an uptick in buyer enquiries from people navigating their way through the new Golden Visa system, which shaves the time active investors must spend in New Zealand.
“It is giving more options, so hopefully it becomes easier to do. People are more determined to come to New Zealand.”
She added: "We'll certainly see a shift in the number of properties that turn over in the next six to 12 months. And when you look at the exchange rates of the dollar with various countries, it makes New Zealand so much more accessible.”
White said buyers were prioritising security and privacy, but sometimes quirky features were attracting attention. She currently has a five-bedroom home for sale at 945 Kahikatea Flat Road, in Waitoki, which has one of the biggest man-caves in the district.
“It is the best sports bar you would find commercially or privately, and there’s accommodation too in the pool guesthouse. And these days, everyone has a robotic mower to make maintenance easy – I would say they outnumber ride-on mowers now,” she said.
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